


Not So Stranded

by Xenobia



Series: Sugar Daddy [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coma, Erotica, Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, Levi/Erwin Smith-centric, M/M, Merman!Levi, Plot Twists, Survival, eruri - Freeform, merfolk, shipwrecked
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-02-14 18:19:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13013469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenobia/pseuds/Xenobia
Summary: Erwin Smith, CEO of an advertisement company, finds himself stranded on an island after modern day pirates commandeer his personal yacht. With no choice but to jump overboard with only a hastily packed, buoyant trunk of belongings, he finds his way to a spit of land and learns a hard lesson of what it's like to have nothing. With his cell phone broken and no means of communicating with civilization for aid, his chances of survival seem very poor indeed. Fortunately for him, his plight doesn't go un-noticed by a mysterious and elusive helper. This story fits in with the "Sugar Daddy" series for reasons that will eventually be revealed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know why I'm publishing this silly thing, but it's finished and since I haven't had the time to do much writing, I figured I may as well. Yes, pirates are still a thing in real life, believe it or not! I based the mer people physiology in this on The Sims 3 merfolk, which kind of inspired this little story in the first place. I hope you enjoy the weirdness!

"You bastards!"

It was perhaps the twentieth time or more that Erwin screamed the raw curse into the uncaring tropical horizon. Pirates. Of all the ridiculous things, it had to be _pirates_. As a boy, he'd loved the swashbuckling tales from the days of yore, when pirates ruled the oceans. These days though, pirates weren't the romanticized bunch he'd grown up reading about and watching on television. Maybe the tales had always been wrong though, and pirates had never been anything more than degenerate criminals with no sense of honor or decency.

As a matter of fact, Erwin thought that was probably the case. If he'd been wearing blinders his whole life, they were definitely lifted now. Pirates were real, they still existed today and they'd cornered his small yacht. After boarding, plundering and killing or taking hostage all the crew, they'd given Erwin a rude reality check. He'd managed to jump overboard when he realized what was happening. There was nothing he could do, outnumbered as he was with no way to fight back or call for help. He'd then watched his own ship float away with the three pirate vessels that had closed in on it. With nothing but the contents of the buoyant, water-tight trunk he'd hastily tossed over and whatever he'd had on him at the time, Erwin had precious little belongings or provisions.

He'd had the good sense to throw on an emergency life vest equipped with an emergency flare, a compass and a whistle, and after locating his trunk and swimming to it, he'd clung to it and paddled due south until he found the spit of land he'd noticed the day before as his yacht passed by it.

He was lucky, but Erwin surely didn't feel it. He could have been killed or taken hostage with his crew if he hadn't acted as he did, but now he was stranded on a small island in the middle of the Caribbean ocean. He didn't even think this bit of land was charted, and he had no equipment to try and contact anyone for help. The trunk he'd tossed overboard had been filled with some personal belongings; most of which he'd frantically tossed in without much time for thought.

Now digging through that trunk, the blond man sighed. He'd had the foresight to pack a solar powered radio with a phone charger, a first aid kit from the bathroom connecting to his bedroom, some basic personal hygiene items, some clothes and for some reason, a bottle of whiskey that he'd been saving on his shelf. He wasn't able to get any food or water bottles. He didn't even really have a container to store any fresh water if he could even find a source of it on this island.

He might die of thirst before he died of hunger.

* * *

If there was one thing in his favor, it was that Erwin was a tactical man, inventive and cunning. That was why he was CEO of his department and could even afford the ship he'd lost, after all. On his first day of being stranded, he focused on building himself a temporary shelter from the sun and elements. He mainly used plant fronds and fallen branches to create a sort of dome canvas to sleep and rest beneath. He waited for the sun to begin setting to gather sticks, rocks and seashells. Using a branch, he dug the letters "SOS" into the sand by the shore close to his encampment.

Erwin was powerfully thirsty after that, but he didn't dare explore the island at night in search of a fresh water source. He managed to knock a coconut down from a nearby palm tree, and after struggling with it for nearly a half an hour, he managed to dig a hole into it with a screwdriver and he thanked his lucky stars that he had some basic tools with him in the emergency kit he'd thrown into his chest. There wasn't much; just a hammer, a couple of screwdrivers and a flashlight, but it was better than nothing.

Erwin drank the coconut water straight from the shell, and then he worked open the top of it with his tools to get at the meat inside. It was dark by the time he finished it, and he cleaned out the interior with sea water so that he could use it as a makeshift container. Now that his immediate hydration needs were met, he got as comfortable as he could under his shelter and tried to get some rest. He thought about lighting a flare in case any ships or aircrafts passed by in the night, but he decided against it. He had a limited number of them, and Erwin thought it was best to conserve them for when he actually saw or heard signs of approaching vessels.

He checked his cell phone as he lay down, hoping and praying for a charge. He'd left it plugged into his solar powered radio while he was out, but it had been in his pocket when he jumped overboard and the so-called "water-tight" case it was in evidently didn't do its job as advertised. Erwin sighed when he tried to power the device on and nothing happened. So much for the hopes of getting rescue through that method.

It was a long first night, and it took some time before the stranded businessman finally nodded off to sleep.

* * *

Aside from some monkeys and local bird life, Erwin found his little island to be mostly uninhabited. That was both a good and bad thing. He wouldn't have to worry about any predatory animals coming after him, but it also meant a lack of prey animals to try and hunt. He did see a snake while exploring his location in the morning, but he wasn't hungry enough to even consider trying to catch and cook it. Snake meat wasn't on his list to try until he was desperate enough to overcome his revulsion for the idea. He did find a spring of fresh water, to his eternal relief. He drank his fill from it and collected some of it in the emptied out coconut he'd saved.

His next order of business, he thought, should be to figure out a way to catch fish. This led him to two ideas. He carved a spear from a sturdy branch he found, and then he started pondering how to go about making a net. The only materials he had to use were limited to plants on the island, so he started looking for fronds and vines that might make a decent weave.

He was exhausted by the time he made it back to his encampment. He reckoned it was around noon, and the sun was harsh and unforgiving. Dragging his finds behind him, the blond man trudged out of the canopy toward the beach. He didn't think he would have the energy to even try to do some spear fishing today. He was drenched in sweat, and his own body odor was offensive to him. He piled the plant gatherings together, walked around between the two palms that he'd built his shelter underneath, and he stopped in his tracks, staring at the sandy ground.

There was a bag on the ground. A napsack to be exact, and Erwin had never seen it before. It was dripping with sea water, but by the way the drops rolled over the material without absorbing into it suggested it was waterproof. Erwin looked around suspiciously, reaching for the pocket knife he'd been using. Either he was already losing his mind, or someone else was on this island with him.

"Hello?" he called.

Only the sound of the waves, the chirp of birds and the wind answered him.

"I know this bag isn't mine," Erwin went on, feeling like an idiot. "Please, come out. Talk to me. Were you part of my crew? Did you end up here the same way I did?"

There was still no response, and Erwin peered into the growth of vegetation further into the island for any sign of movement. He sighed after a while, and he warily approached the mystery bag. He wasn't sure what he expected to find in it; perhaps a bomb that would blow up in his face and finish him off. Instead, he found the bag stuffed with water-tight containers. There was a mason jar filled with pickled eggs, another filled with fish filets in what he assumed to be brine, and a canteen. Erwin opened up the canteen and had an experimental sniff. It was fresh water. He took a sip and nodded in satisfaction.

"Maybe it's all poisoned," he mused softly. "Or maybe I hit my head and I'm just imagining all of this."

He pulled the jars out of the bag, and he found something stuffed in the bottom of it that gave him pause. "A comb?" Erwin reached in and pulled it out. It was indeed a comb, and a good brand name, too. "Is this your way of telling me I need to tidy up?"

Of course, he had no idea _who_ was trying to tell him _what_ , if this was even really happening. He would have liked to think he could make it for longer than two days on a deserted island before he lost his marbles, but perhaps he'd overestimated himself.

Erwin wiped his hands on his pants, grimaced at how dirty they were. He stood up, looked around again and shrugged. "I don't know who you are or if you're even real, friend, but thanks. I'm probably just talking to myself and out of my head, but if not, I hope you'll eventually show yourself to me."

Again, he received no answer. Erwin sat down under his shelter to get out of the sun, and he opened up the jar of eggs to try one of them first. He'd never tried pickled eggs before. He'd always associated it with red neck drunkards, but after having a tentative bite, he found the tangy spice of it more than pleasing. He had another after the first, and he had to force himself not to eat a third. Whomever his mystery benefactor was, he couldn't presume they would come back tomorrow with another bag of treats for him. He had to practice some restraint and make the unexpected rations last.

Erwin did try some of the fish next, and that was tasty as well. He had no idea what kind of fish it was, nor did he care. It filled his belly and God willing, it wouldn't end up killing him or making him sick. He fell asleep after that, though he hadn't intended to. With a full stomach and a head full of questions, he drifted off under the shade and didn't wake again until sunset.

Which of course pissed Erwin off. He'd slept through all of his daylight, so his plan to make a fishing net would have to wait for the next day. At least he had food and water now, though he'd half-expected to wake up and find it gone. The donated supplies were still there, so he ate another piece of fish, stripped out of his clothes and did his best to scrub his body off in the surf. He was sparing with his use of his soap and shampoo, using just enough to get the job done. Unfortunately he had no deodorant with him, so the respite from body odor wasn't bound to last for long once the sun came up again.

Erwin also washed his clothes in the surf, and he hung them on one of the palm trees in his camp before changing into a different outfit from his sparse selection. He had only three shirts, two pairs of pants and one pair of shorts to see him through. Two pairs of shoes, a couple of pairs of socks and for some reason, a week's worth of underwear. That made him laugh. Of all the things he'd thought to grab, he'd focused more on the underwear than anything else because he could imagine his mother stressing the importance of clean underwear.

"Well Mom, at least I have that."

* * *

Two more days went by, and Erwin bemoaned the fact that he hadn't taken his razor when he jumped ship. He'd packed the shaving cream, but that was practically useless without a proper razor. He tried using his pocketknife and ended up cutting his jaw in the process. Discouraged, he gave up on the idea of trying to shave his face until he could think up some other way to do it. The last thing he needed was to slice his face up and get an infection for lack of a mirror or razor.

Putting up with the itchy facial hair growth, Erwin tried to keep himself occupied, ever watchful for air or sea crafts as well as his unknown benefactor. No more goody bags appeared in his camp after the first one, and Erwin wildly debated over whether it was possible that it had washed onto shore all the way to his camp rather than be deliberately placed there by some passing stranger. As unlikely as the possibility seemed, it was more logical than somebody just dropping by and leaving him rations out here.

Clouds drifted in by the afternoon, and Erwin was grateful for the respite from the beating sunlight...until the rain came down. It fell in heavy sheets, and he was soaked to the bone in no time. He hurried back to his camp from his scavenging round, tripped over a rock on the way and cut his hand. Swearing, he picked himself up and moved on until he made it out of the foliage. The tide was high, but not enough to put his camp in danger. It undoubtedly washed away his help message in the sand, but in this downpour nobody would have been likely to see it even if they did fly overhead.

Erwin scrambled under his shelter, and he opened up his trunk. The rain was surprisingly chilly, and he had to get into some dry clothes if he didn't want to catch a cold. As he peeled off his drenched outfit and started putting on another one, something caught Erwin's attention. He stopped in the middle of shrugging into a dry button-down shirt, tilting his head. Right beside his trunk was a plastic, water-tight box; the kind people would use for storage. It was see-through, and Erwin recognized some of the contents visible to him. There was a book, a few jars and a smaller box.

"What in the hell?"

His mystery friend must have stopped by again. Erwin looked around, and for a brief moment, he swore he spotted a human figure standing upon the rocky shoals just off the island's coast-line. A flash of lightning briefly blinded him, and when his vision cleared, the figure was gone. Erwin rubbed his eyes. He couldn't be sure, but he'd thought the figure had been male in anatomy. It was small of build though, so it could have been female as well.

"What did you leave for me this time?" Erwin popped open the storage box to go through it, once again doubting his sanity. He hadn't seen the slightest sign of any boats since his arrival on the island, nor had he come across any footprints in his daily activities. Either he was keeping company on this island with someone that had the ability to completely cover their tracks and stay hidden in plain sight, or he had a neighbor from some other spit of land sneaking over to leave him gifts during the day. Neither possibility seemed realistic in the slightest to him.

The book, he discovered, was full of crossword puzzles. The jars were filled with more preserved food. There was giardiniera in one, good old fashioned pickles in another, and green olives in the third. In addition, there was a tin wrapped up in waterproof cloth that Erwin found to be full of beef jerky. He opened the small box he'd spotted, and his thick blond eyebrows went up when he discovered a straight razor inside. The box itself also had a mirror attached to the underside of the lid.

Erwin started to laugh. It rippled through him in waves, and soon he was outright guffawing.

"So...so you really...don't like the scruff, do you?" Erwin could barely get the words out. He was feeling giddy, and he knew he was on the edge of hysteria. "Hey, I don't suppose you could loan me a cell phone while you're at it?"

As expected, there was no response to his questions. Erwin's voice roughed, and his laughter started to turn into sobs. He was trapped in the middle of the ocean, and his only company was some kind of water sprite that wouldn't communicate with him except to keep him going for a few days longer. He was losing his mind. Even if he survived this, he would be a shell of himself by the time he made it out of this and back to civilization.

* * *

Erwin thought that his blood was going to turn into vinegar if he survived on pickled produce for much longer. Not that he didn't appreciate it along with the other items his pixie had left for him, but the salt content couldn't be good as a staple. He had coconuts, but there wasn't much else available that he felt safe eating. He'd found some berries that he couldn't identify, so he left them alone until he witnessed any of the local wildlife eating them to ensure they were safe to consume.

He'd been stranded for a week now. None of his clothes were "clean", so to speak, because he had no detergent to wash them with. He got most of the dirt out by scrubbing them with sand. He managed to spear his first fish on day seven, and he enjoyed the first non-pickled, non-coconut meal he'd had since coming to the island. He roasted the fish for lunch over a fire, and after eating, he was just about to put out the fire and go for a water run when he saw something thrashing in the waves off the shore.

Erwin stood up, still holding the stick that he'd skewered his catch on for roasting. At first he thought it was just a shark or an orca catching some prey, but he was only half right. He saw a pale arm emerge from the water, holding a knife. It stabbed downwards, and the sea water began to rapidly turn crimson. Erwin took a step toward the shore, then another. He saw the white underbelly of a shark emerge. The creature wasn't moving, and it floated toward the shore on its back. Something came out of the water near it...something with a big, black tail.

It was no orca. That fish tail was attached to a human body. Erwin froze, his eyes going wide with disbelief. His brain couldn't process what he was seeing. From the waist up, the creature crawling onto the rock shoal was human. From the waist down, he had the tail of a fish instead of legs. Pale skinned with jet-black hair, he struggled out of the water and collapsed, dropping his knife on the rocks. His tail was as black as his hair, except for the dorsal fin lining the back of it and the fan-like tail fin at the end of it. They both softened to a silvery gray color.

It was a magnificent and startling sight to behold, but Erwin regained some of his senses when he realized that the perfect, jewel-like glimmer of the creature's scales gleamed deep red in the sunlight, around where the left thigh would have been had he human legs. Erwin narrowed his eyes, and he could see that there were punctures in the scales. This...merman...had been bitten by the shark he'd just fought off.

Erwin couldn't say what drove him to toss his cooking skewer away and go running toward the surf. By all sense of logic and reason, this couldn't possibly be happening. He was about to dive into water that he now knew to be inhabited by sharks, and for what? To rescue a figment of his imagination? Still, he didn't stop his charge. He splashed through the surf and dove in, swimming strongly against the waves to reach the injured figment of his imagination. He reached the shoal, and he grimaced at the pain in his healing hand as he pulled himself up on the sharp rocks. They dug into Erwin's knees, but his pants offered some protection from injury. Erwin gathered the fish-man into his arms gingerly, wary of getting cut by his scales. He found that they weren't sharp like an ordinary fishes, though. They almost had a reptilian texture to them.

"I've got you," he gasped when his companion moaned in pain. "It's okay."

Now that he was up close, Erwin could see the details of the merman's appearance. He looked like an attractive young man, with fine bone structure, a cute little nose and pouty lips. He was small in build, though athletically toned. The merman opened his eyes, and Erwin found himself caught in them. Those eyes pierced him like daggars. Silvery gray like his dorsal and tail fin, they were heavy-lidded, long-lashed and filled with mystery.

"This isn't," said the merman thoughtfully in a dry tone, "how I planned this."

Erwin was shaken. Even that voice was mesmerizing. There he was, crouched on a rock and suffering the hardest, most sudden crush he'd ever experienced...and the object of his interest was half fish.

He didn't know what to say in response to the creature's odd comment. He thought he was probably going into shock, and whatever he was, he needed medical attention. Erwin grabbed up the knife that had slipped from the merman's grip, and he pocketed it before lifting his companion carefully.

"We need to get that wound cleaned out," he told him. "I have supplies at my camp. I'll worry about my sanity after I've taken care of you."

* * *

Erwin made another startling discovery after carrying the injured man back to his camp and lying him down under his shelter. As he did his best to dry him off and tend to his wound, the merman's tail started to split apart, for lack of a better description. The fins seemed to retreat inside, and the tail itself became a pair of legs. Erwin ogled the transformation. He dropped the cloth he'd dampened with antiseptic, at a loss for what was happening. He touched the merman's legs curiously, for while they'd altered from tail form, they were still scaled from thigh to foot. The scales at the top of the thighs were silver-gray, as were the ones at the ankles. He definitely had human male anatomy, Erwin discovered. With the transformation came a set of very human genitals, and upon realization that he was now staring at a quite naked young man, he tried not to stare at that spot.

"Are you real?" whispered Erwin.

The young man looked up at him, his lips thinned with discomfort. His hair was starting to dry, and Erwin could see that it was fashioned in an undercut style similar to his own, longer on top and shaved on the bottom.

"What do you think?" rasped the merman.

Erwin shook his head. "I think I either lost my mind as soon as I set foot on this island or you've been the one leaving food supplies for me."

"Try the second theory," advised the merman. He tried to sit up, and he gasped.

"Lie still," advised Erwin. He pushed him back down, and he focused on finishing cleaning up the bite. Now that the tail had transformed into legs, he was more familiar with the anatomy and it was easier to tell what he was doing. "I'm sorry if it hurts. I have whiskey, if you want to try some to dull the pain."

"That'll just make me drunk and dehydrated."

"Probably true," conceded Erwin. He grimaced as he wiped at the bite marks. "It isn't as bad as I first thought. It doesn't look like it tore any muscle, at least."

"He only got a nip in." The merman sighed, turning his head to frown at the shoreline. "Fucking shark ate the bag I was gonna leave you."

Erwin's blue gaze softened on him. "You were hurt trying to supply me? Then I definitely have to give you the best of care."

"It was...the mackerel," informed the merman. "I didn't...clean it like I should have. Was gonna leave that to you because I...find it disgusting. The blood must have drawn that toothy bastard."

"I'm sorry." Erwin was in a fit of confusion, but he had to prioritize things. He finished sterilizing the injury, and he got out the gauze and wound sealant. "This is going to hurt," he warned, unscrewing the cap. It was essentially liquid bandage, similar to super glue. It was good in a pinch when an open injury had to be sealed and stitches weren't an option, but he knew firsthand how bad it stung.

"Do it," insisted the merman. "Can't hurt much more than the bite did."

"I wouldn't count on that." Erwin clamped one large hand down on the other man's leg to hold it still, and he glanced at him with remorse when he squeezed the tube and filled the wounds with the viscous gel. The merman's back arched, his jaw clenching with pain and his nostrils flaring. To his credit, he didn't cry out. His hands curled into fists on the pallet, and he panted roughly as he rode it out.

"It will fade," promised Erwin. He impulsively reached out to stroke the merman's soft, dark hair. "Talk to me. What's your name?"

"L-Levi," gasped the other.

"Levi," repeated Erwin. He liked it, found it a fitting name for this intriguing person. "Where do you live? How long were you watching me?"

"I...don't live near hear," confessed Levi. "Come to this place sometimes to get away. Saw you stranded here, so I started bringing you stuff to keep you going. It takes a while to make the swim, or I'd have done it more often."

"Do you live under the sea?" Erwin checked to see if the sealant was dry enough, and he procured some gauze from his first aid kit to begin wrapping it.

"No. That'd be boring as hell after a while. I've got a place in the keys."

Erwin frowned in puzzlement. "You must be some swimmer to go back and forth from here and the keys. Granted I'm not sure where exactly I am in the Caribbean, but—"

"I wasn't swimming all the way to the keys and back," snorted Levi. "Idiot. I've got a little place on an island around here. I was heading to it when I passed by and saw you digging letters in the sand. Oi, are you staring at my dick?"

Erwin hastily looked away, blushing. "Excuse me for my eyes wandering. You're just...er...very naked."

"Hmph. Still think you're imagining me?"

"My imagination isn't that powerful," Erwin told him. "I can be creative when it comes to problem solving, but I doubt I could dream up someone like you in a million years."

Levi seemed to accept the answer, even looked somewhat pleased with it. "I get it. You've been through hell and now you're talking to someone you didn't think could really exist. We've been really careful to keep our existence hidden."

"So then there are more of you?" pressed Erwin. "More mermaids...uh, mermen?"

"Yeah, both." Levi tensed a bit, his brows pinching with pain as Erwin wrapped up his thigh. "In plain sight, actually. Walking among you without any of you being the wiser for it. You won't see us wearing shorts or bathing suits for obvious reasons, but otherwise we just try to blend in."

"Then you and I could have passed on a street and I never would have known," mused Erwin. "What I don't understand is this: you knew that I was stranded when you saw me, and you've been helping me survive. Have you contacted anyone to let them know I'm here? The coastal guard, maybe?"

"I tried," sighed Levi. "My cell phone got fucked up, though. I dropped it in the toilet of all places on the cruise ship that dropped me off. I've got an old ham radio at my vacation place, but I can't get that working either. I'm just as stuck as you are."

Erwin grimaced. "At least until you're healed enough to swim again."

Levi shook his head. "I could never make the swim all the way back home. The good news is the cruise line I took should be coming through these waters again in about a month. If we can't get someone's attention before them, we've got a chance of signaling the cruise ship."

That gave Erwin some hope. He was still feeling light-headed though, and he still wasn't sure this was really happening. "Why haven't your kind made themselves known to the world by now? How did you fade so completely into myth and legend without anyone ever discovering the truth?"

"Very carefully," came the flat answer. "As for why, all you've got to do is look at human history. Your people aren't known for being very tolerant, blondie. There was a time we tried to 'come out', but it didn't go well and so it was decided for our survival that we stay hidden. Can you really blame us?"

"I suppose not." Erwin thought on supernatural fiction he'd watched or read over the years. He thought of unicorn tapestry, and he found it logical to assume that merfolk wouldn't be treated with any better dignity than the mythological unicorn.

"What about faeries?" Erwin asked after finishing binding Levi's leg. "Vampires? Unicorns? Do they exist too? In hiding perhaps, like your people."

"Not as far as I know." Levi shrugged. He tensed slightly when Erwin retrieved a shirt from his trunk and covered his groin with it. The merman relaxed a moment later when the blond man didn't try to touch him beyond that. Levi didn't really strike Erwin as the skittish type, but he'd gone through a lot of trouble to be an invisible aid. Now he'd revealed his nature and for all Erwin knew, he'd broken some kind of law amongst his kind by doing so.

"I won't hurt you," promised Erwin softly. He studied Levi's face, quietly admiring the symmetry of it. The merman's skin was so smooth and soft looking. There wasn't any sign of stubble on his face. That reminded Erwin of Levi's most recent gift to him, and it made him wonder.

"Thank you for the straight razor, by the way. I've used it, but I'm not very good with it yet."

Levi smirked slightly. "You humans are so hairy. I thought you might like that."

"Then you don't have to shave at all, I take it?" Erwin met the other male's lazy gaze, again enchanted by it. Damn, Levi was cute. Under different circumstances, Erwin would certainly be making a move on him by now.

"No, I don't grow facial hair," confirmed Levi. "Some of us do, though. My uncle could. The beard gene skipped me, though."

Erwin glanced down, tried not to stare at the area he'd covered up with his shirt. "Your tail. It turned into a pair of legs once it dried off."

"Very observant of you."

Erwin smirked briefly. This little guy had an attitude for certain. "So I take it this is an ordinary biological thing for your kind?"

"Yeah. Good thing, too. Otherwise we'd be stuck living in the water our whole lives. I like the land-dweller society, even if people piss me off sometimes. So what's your name? You never said."

"Erwin," answered the blond. "Erwin Smith."

"Smith?" Levi's nose crinkled a bit. "That sounds like some generic bullshit name someone would make up to cover their identity."

Erwin chuckled. "So it does, but it's really my surname."

"Hmm." Levi's eyes drifted shut. "Okay then, Erwin Smith. I guess we're stuck with each other for now. I can't swim anywhere until this bite heals, so I can't go back to my place or take you there."

"Of course." Erwin resisted the urge to stroke Levi's hair again. "I'm surprised you would even consider taking me to your place, to be honest. You've worked so hard to convince me these gifts you've been leaving me just magically appeared."

"I'm not scared of you." Levi's eyes opened again, and he stared up at him. "Don't confuse caution with fear."

"I understand," pacified the blond. He didn't quite believe it, though. As bold as he was, as calm as he seemed, there was still a sense of fear in Levi that Erwin could pick up. He doubted most other people could have detected it, but he was a very observant man. His gift was in reading people, and he'd used that to his advantage in his career. "I think I would be wary too, if I were in your place. I'm just going to have to work on gaining your trust while you recover."

Levi glanced down at himself, scanning his own body briefly. "How about you start by turning your back so I can put on this shirt you gave me?"

"Sure." Erwin politely did as advised for the sake of his guest's modesty. "I have pants you could wear, too. They'll be big on you, but—"

"No, comparing your size to mine, I know I'd be swimming in them," Levi interrupted with a grunt. "I could probably fit my whole body into one leg of your pants."

That made Erwin laugh softly. He could just picture the diminutive man getting swallowed up by his trousers. "Good point. You really are a small person."

"No, you're just too big," argued Levi. "Okay, you can turn around now."

Erwin faced him again, looking him up and down. The shirt alone was big enough on him to cover Levi to mid-thigh. Erwin supposed it would do for the time being. "Maybe my shorts will fit you if we belt them up," he suggested. "We can try it later if you want, after your leg is less tender."

"That might work." Levi heaved a sigh, and he lay back down. "Do you have any water in that canteen I gave you?"

"Yes." Erwin retrieved the item from the palm shoot he'd hung it on, and he opened it up before offering it to Levi. "I'd just refilled it before I came back and found you in the water."

Levi nodded, and he drank a few swallows before capping it up again. He wiped his mouth off and handed the canteen back to Erwin, eyeing him suspiciously. "What? You look confused all the sudden."

"I just have a thousand questions about your kind," admitted the blond. "I wouldn't have thought you would need to drink water."

"Only in human form," explained Levi. "We get dehydrated fast if we don't. If we're not _in_ the water, we've got to be sure and consume enough of it to sustain us. Otherwise our bodies absorb what we need from the aquatic environment."

"Oh." That made sense enough, Erwin supposed. "What kind of food do you like besides pickles?"

Levi smirked. "All kinds. Pickled shit just keeps better, and I only turn on the electricity at my shack when I'm staying there. I keep it stocked with preserved food year round in case something goes wrong with the generator when I'm there. I've got some things in my fridge, but it wasn't practical to bring any of that to you."

"I imagine bread or cheese would have been hard to keep dry." Erwin smiled at him. "Thank you again for your efforts, Levi. I might not have made it this long without your help."

"You weren't doing too bad." Levi rolled onto his uninjured side to look around. "You managed to put together your own shelter, you found water and I've seen you knocking down those coconuts to eat."

"Yes, but a man can't survive on coconuts alone. I'd have scurvy right now if not for you."

Levi shrugged. "Sorry it's always pickled stuff. I've got a banana tree at my place and a mango tree too, but I haven't had the chance to seal any of it up to bring to you."

Touched by the statement, Erwin nearly reached out to rub Levi's shoulder. "That's very kind of you."

"It would have stung my conscience if I'd just left you to starve," muttered the smaller male. Maybe it was Erwin's imagination, but he swore he saw Levi's cheeks pinken.

"Well then, I'm grateful you have a conscience." Deciding to change the subject, Erwin asked his next question. "Do you make those preserves yourself, or did you buy them from somewhere?"

"Most of them I make myself. I buy the produce from the market and pickle it all at home. It's actually pretty easy. The fish I catch myself."

"It sounds like you're quite the survivalist," remarked Erwin.

"I didn't grow up with a lot," excused Levi. "Had to learn to get by on a tight budget and stock the pantries myself when I could. I'm not hard-up for finances the way I used to be, but old habits die hard."

Erwin couldn't really relate to that lifestyle. He'd never been poor, he'd attended a good college and he had job security in a good career. Only logic and practicality had helped him through his situation thus far, not experience in crisis situations.

"What do you do for a living?" asked the blond.

"I work at a warehouse," provided Levi. "It's not a glamorous job, but it pays the bills. How about you?"

"I'm a CEO at an advertising company in Tampa."

A flicker of interest lit the merman's pale eyes. "Then you don't live that far from me. How'd you end up stranded here?"

Erwin told him about the pirates, and he braced himself for the smaller man to accuse him of bullshitting him. Levi didn't, though. He didn't seem even a bit surprised to hear the story.

"I'm fairly sure they were Cuban," finished Erwin. He got up to dig through his belongings for the jar of giardiniera Levi had given him, and he opened it up. He used the fork that had been included in the last care package to dig a piece of cauliflower out. Instead of eating it himself, he offered it to his guest. "Hungry?"

Levi shook his head. "Not right now. Feeling kind of sick, actually."

"You lost some blood." Erwin frowned. He wasn't a chef by any means, but he thought he might be able to make some fish broth for Levi if he could make a catch. It might be easier on his stomach.

"I just need rest," assured Levi. He peered at the sky beyond Erwin's shoulder. "Looks like we've got another storm coming in, too. You'll have to hunker down under here with me if that's the case."

Erwin said nothing, but he was certainly more than willing to huddle up with Levi if they got another squall. That disturbed him a little, in fact. Levi wasn't human, and he'd given no reason for Erwin to think he was interested in men. He should be questioning his own attraction to the man, reminding himself that they might not even be biologically compatible even if Levi did appear to have full human anatomy in his land form. Erwin knew he had to be warm-blooded; he'd determined that while cleaning him up and getting some of his blood on him.

Erwin bit into the pickled vegetable he'd offered to Levi, looking at the horizon himself to determine when they might expect those dark clouds to reach them.

* * *

As anticipated, the storm blew into the island within the hour. Erwin had no choice but to crowd in close to Levi underneath the dome shelter. It was just big enough for the two of them, and he dropped the plant fiber curtain he'd braided together to help keep rain from blowing in. It worked well enough, but Erwin found Levi's proximity more than a little bit distracting. He smelled like the ocean. It definitely wasn't a fishy smell, but fresh like a breeze off the water. His lean body was hard with muscle tone against Erwin's, but his skin was so soft that the blond itched to run his hands over it.

"I've got to hand it to you," Levi said to him after a boom of thunder faded into the distance, "You've kept your cool about all this. Most people in your situation would be a basket case by now, especially after finding out merfolk are real. Are you in shock or something, or are you just a super composed guy?"

"A bit of both, I think," confessed Erwin. "Trust me, I'm still struggling to process this. I've just come to believe that hysterics never help. I could allow myself to come apart, but to what end? I can't take care of you in that condition, and I can't take care of myself. I have to hold it together for both our sakes."

"Well played," approved Levi. He looked into Erwin's eyes, searching them. He didn't speak, but Erwin got the feeling that he had something he wanted to say.

"What is it?" prompted Erwin.

They both tensed when more thunder cracked overhead, though they'd both expected it after the lightning that had lit up the interior of the shelter a moment ago.

"Just...your eyes," Levi said hesitantly. "That flash of lightning a minute ago made them look like they were glowing. You've got really blue eyes."

Erwin's mouth curved into a smile. It wasn't exactly a declaration of romantic interest, but at least Levi was noticing him in some way. "Is that a compliment?"

Levi shrugged. He pulled his borrowed shirt down further over his thighs in a self-conscious gesture. "I guess so. Whatever."

Erwin's smile deepened. There was an almost adolescent feel to Levi's sudden shyness, and he was sure that this time, he was indeed blushing. He seemed like an adult, but maybe Erwin was mistaken about that. With that possibility came a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if in addition to being another species, Levi wasn't even of legal age?

"How old are you?"

The merman's thin lips pulled down at the corners. "Why?"

"I'm just curious," excused Erwin. "I'm usually pretty good at guessing people's ages, but you have a very...eh...timeless look. Your face looks young, but your eyes make me think you're older."

"You first," insisted Levi. He folded his hands in his lap, staring down at them.

"I'm thirty-seven," answered the blond.

"Hmm. That was about my guess. I'm twenty-six."

Erwin looked him up and down, and another flicker of lightning provided a moment's greater luminance. "You really look young. I'd have believed it if you said you were eighteen."

"Maybe because I'm short."

"It isn't just your height, though that does lend to the impression of youth." Erwin smiled. He was faintly relieved to hear Levi wasn't a teenager, though he doubted that would work in his benefit. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Levi blinked slowly at him, and he shook his head.

"Boyfriend?" hedged Erwin.

"I'm not seeing anyone. Why the interest?"

"Because I'm trying to get to know you better," Erwin gently explained. Levi was single. Erwin still couldn't tell if there was even a small spark of reciprocal interest from him, but at least he had something to go on now. "I'm single as well."

"Yeah? When was the last time you were with someone?"

"It's been several months," obliged Erwin. "I was with them for almost a year before we parted ways."

"Did they cheat on you?" asked Levi.

"No, we just grew apart." Erwin shrugged. "It was an amicable enough breakup."

Levi nodded, and he curled up and lay down on his side, keeping his butt against the back of the shelter so as to not flash Erwin. "Relationships are a pain in the ass. I haven't been in one for more than two years and I don't know if I'll ever try to be again."

"Surely there's a chance someone out there could change your mind," Erwin stated, disliking the resolve in Levi's voice. "You're young and anything could happen."

"Maybe." Levi closed his eyes. "I'm tired. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep."

Erwin didn't begrudge him that. He was tired himself, and it didn't look as though the storm would be ending anytime soon. There was nothing else to do except wait it out, so he tried to get more comfortable himself without accidentally jostling his smaller companion.

"Sleep well, Levi."

* * *

-To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! Yes, I'm still working on other works in progress. It's just slow going because my work schedule eats up most of my time. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Their surroundings were a mess the next morning when Erwin emerged from the shelter to assess how much damage the storm had done. It was a wonder his shelter hadn't blown over, but he'd done a good enough job anchoring it to keep it in place. There was seaweed washed up on the beach, fallen branches and fronds everywhere and some dead sea life that had been carried to the shore by the tide. Erwin did his best to clean it up, throwing fish carcasses back into the ocean so they wouldn't attract bugs to his camp.

He heard Levi call out to him as he started re-writing his help message in the sand, and he looked up to see him stumbling out of the shelter. The bandaging on his thigh was stained with spots of blood, but there wasn't an alarming amount of it. Erwin hurried up to him from the lower ground of the shore, and he put a solicitous arm around him.

"You shouldn't be up and about yet," chastised Erwin.

"I was looking for the water."

Erwin got it for him, and he helped Levi back to the shelter before giving the water over to him. It felt light. "I'll go and refill it as soon as you've finished with it."

Levi nodded, and he drank thirstily from the canteen. He handed it back to Erwin once he'd drained it. "Shit, I finished it off without offering you any."

"It's all right," soothed the blond. "I had some when I got up. Just rest now and let me take care of it."

Levi was compliant enough, but perhaps he didn't feel well enough to argue. Erwin felt the heat coming from him, and he feared he might be coming down with a fever. "Can you take aspirin? I have some. I think you're running a temperature and the aspirin could help reduce it."

"Yeah, I can take aspirin."

Erwin got the medication for him after getting Levi settled back in, but with no water left, the smaller man had to dry-swallow the pills. "I'll be back," promised Erwin as Levi grimaced and squirmed to get comfortable. "You should try to eat something today, too."

"Think I might throw it back up if I do," predicted Levi in a weak tone.

Now even more concerned, Erwin hurried to go on the water run. He took one of the mason jars he'd emptied of contents as an extra container to carry back more, because he had a feeling Levi was going to need it.

* * *

Erwin's suspicion about Levi running a fever proved to be right. He gave him some water, and then he dampened one of his socks with the extra water in the mason jar. It wasn't exactly top care, but they couldn't be picky. He apologized to Levi for the method in which he used, explaining that he had a lack of material to use.

"I did wash it recently," he explained to the ailing merman. He unbuttoned Levi's borrowed shirt, and he cast a questioning look at him. "May I?"

Levi nodded. His cheeks were flushed with his fever, and his eyes seemed too bright. Erwin nursed him attentively, and his ministrations drifted lower as he dabbed at Levi's skin with the damp, cool sock. He swallowed as he undid the shirt down to the last two buttons, leaving his companion's groin covered but baring the rest of his torso. Levi had a beautiful body, fit and toned, smooth and pale. The blond's fingers brushed against the other male's soft skin, and he ached to touch him more. Levi appeared to be falling asleep.

It took a great deal of self control for Erwin to keep his touch clinical. It was like torture, but he managed to resist temptation and finish his task without molesting Levi. The merman had drifted off to sleep during it after all, and Erwin got up and left the shelter quietly so as not to disturb him. He sat outside on the rock that served as a chair for him, under the shadows of the palm trees. Staring out at the ocean, Erwin wondered what he would do if Levi's condition became serious. His medicinal supplies were just the basics. He had no antibiotics to ward off infection. He frowned as he thought about the best course of action, and his eyes narrowed at the white-crested blue waves washing up on the shore.

Sea water. That was the answer. Salt water was known to be good for cleaning out infection.

"You _are_ an idiot," he chastised himself. Levi was right about that. He should have started with that from the beginning, but he could remedy that now. He just needed to start a fire and collect some of the liquid from the ocean.

* * *

Levi awoke confused when Erwin first applied the poultice to his thigh. Made of soft plant material and soaked in warmed salt water, the blond applied it gently to the bite and then used some gauze from his supply to wrap the area again and hold the poultice in place. Erwin was quick to explain his actions when Levi asked him what the hell he was doing.

"Soaking it in salt water may help ease inflammation and draw out infection." Erwin examined his work, and he glanced up when he was satisfied. "I'm sorry if it stings. The idea came to me earlier when I was considering our options. I didn't want to wait to try it, or I'd have let you sleep in peace."

"Oh."

Levi looked down at his injured thigh, at the big hand that was resting on top of the wrapping. He bit his lower lip and didn't say anything more. Suspecting he wasn't comfortable with the contact, Erwin withdrew his hand. "I'm going to try and catch some fish. If I succeed and can make a broth from it, do you think you could try and keep some down?"

"Fish broth?" Levi didn't look very enthused.

"Seeing as we lack any chickens on this island, it's the only option for bullion we have." Erwin smiled. "Pity that shark you killed is out to sea by now. I could have tried my hand at shark fin soup."

"Do you even know how to cook that?"

Erwin shook his head. "Not at all, but it might have been interesting. I'm afraid anything that I cook will be bland at best. I have no spices and my culinary skills aren't fantastic. I know enough to make a broth, though."

"Guess I'll have to try it." Levi's eyes drifted shut again. "Good luck fishing."

"I'll leave the water canteen beside you," offered the blond. He looked down at the other male's legs again. They hadn't transformed back into a tail, so he could only assume the poultice didn't get it wet enough to trigger the alteration. "Hey Levi, what would happen if you got caught in the rain?" He imagined Levi transforming in front of people, and it baffled him to think of what it must be like to avoid getting wet at all costs.

"Nothing would happen. I'd just get wet like you."

"Oh? But wouldn't getting wet make you transform into a merman?"

Levi shook his head, eyes still closed. "Not in fresh water. At least not involuntarily. I can change if I want to in a lake or something, but it takes effort. Natural sea water is the only kind that compels transformation. Otherwise you'd have mer people flopping around in fish form in the streets every time there's a downpour."

"I see." The revelation fascinated and intrigued Erwin. "So in a way, you're like a werewolf."

Levi cracked his eyes open and stared at him. "How exactly am I like a werewolf, Smith? Met many of them, have you?"

"No, of course not. Unless they're all hiding in plain sight like your people, they don't exist. I just mean that the conditions surrounding your transformation reminds me of some of the werewolf legends I grew up with. Some of them allude that werewolves can alter their forms at will in most cases, but they can't resist the transformation during full moons. From what you've told me, the same is true of merfolk and sea water."

Levi appeared thoughtful. "Yeah, I guess that's fair enough."

"What if you poured salt into your bathwater?" pressed Erwin. "Would it make you transform?"

"Not unless it's sea salt."

"So if someone dropped a chunk of Himalayan sea salt in the bath or hot tub with you—"

"What are you doing, plotting to expose merfolk now?" Levi frowned up at him.

"No, I'm just curious," excused Erwin. "I can see you aren't in the mood to talk more about it, so I'll let you rest and see about catching some fish for the broth I mentioned."

Erwin pushed aside the fiber curtain to exit the shelter again, but Levi's soft voice gave him pause.

"Erwin? Sorry for being a dick. I just don't feel good."

Erwin half turned to look back at him. He could tell that apologies didn't come easy for Levi, and the uncomfortable look on his face was proof of that. He smiled forgivingly at him, endeared by his efforts.

"It's all right, Levi. I'll save further questions for when you're feeling better. Just rest."

* * *

By some small mercy, Erwin was able to spear a fish. It would have been two, except that his first successful strike only grazed his prey and it got away trailing blood. He imagined a predator would finish it off if it didn't die from the injury, and he checked his disappointment and got to the business of making the broth. It wasn't easy. He didn't have a proper pan to cook in, and he used the tin that had contained the beef jerky Levi gifted him with as a substitute. He had to hold it over the fire with a pair of sticks he tied together to make a grasping mechanism, and he had to be very careful not to let the wood catch fire.

Eventually he succeeded in his goal, and that evening he presented Levi with the tin full of broth. He'd wrapped it up in wet leaves so that it could be handled without burning the skin, and he nibbled on the meat from his catch as he waited for Levi to present the verdict to him.

"It's not bad," Levi said after sipping the broth gingerly. "It's not really good, either."

"I suppose that's better than 'horrible'," chuckled Erwin. He'd tasted the broth himself, and he thought Levi's opinion of it was fair. His humor died as he thought about how little they had left of their provisions. He could keep fishing and harvesting coconuts, but that probably wasn't going to be enough to get them by for very long. The monkeys in the area had to be getting food from somewhere, but Erwin thus far hadn't been able to find any fruits or vegetables that looked fit for human consumption.

"What's with the pensive face all the sudden?" Levi asked him between sips.

"I was just thinking of food."

Levi raised a brow, glancing pointedly at the fish in Erwin's hands.

"I mean for later," clarified the blond. "We don't have much left of the food you gave me, and I don't know enough about scavenging in the wild to identify any nuts or berries I find further inland. Where is this shack of yours located?"

"It's west of here," answered Levi. "But don't think about trying to make the swim yourself. You look like you're in good shape, but with your human legs you'd probably get fatigued and drown before you could make it. Then I'd have to be pissed off at the wasted effort to keep your ass alive."

Erwin smiled. "I wouldn't want to piss you off. What if I used something as a floatation device, such as my trunk? That's how I made it here."

"No. Not alone. You could get lost or attacked by a shark like I was." Levi sighed. "I get that you want to gather more provisions, but you'll just have to wait until I'm healed enough to make the swim, okay? Maybe I could get us both there, and you wouldn't have to sleep under this twig shelter you built."

"How would you get us both there?" Erwin wondered. "Do you have a boat docked at your place? if you do, maybe we could use that to make it back to civilization."

"No, I don't have a boat. I don't need one to get around here and I always make arrangements to get picked up by the cruise line when it comes back around. That being said, it would be better for us to be there than here. I've already got my trip back to the keys booked, so even if we can't get word out for help, we'll eventually have a ride out of here."

"How soon?"

Levi shrugged. "About three more weeks, if my sense of time isn't fucked up. Should be plenty of time for me to recover and get us to my shack."

Erwin was about to ask why Levi didn't offer to do so from the beginning, but he reminded himself that he was a stranger to Levi when the merman found him.

"That still leaves the question of how you'll get us both there. Am I supposed to ride on your back?"

"What do I look like, some orca performing in a marine show?" Levi smirked at him, and he shook his head. "No, you're too big to ride on my back. I could pull you along with me, though. That trunk of yours floats, so you can cling to that while I pull it behind me."

The idea had its merits. "All right. We can try that when the time comes. I only hope it's enough time for you to recover enough to make the swim."

"I heal pretty fast."

Erwin glanced at the wrapping around Levi's thigh, hoping that would be the case now. He'd soak the poultice again before bed and re-apply it. He didn't want to take any chances of Levi's fever worsening or a bad infection.

"Levi, I have to ask; if you hadn't been bitten by the shark—"

"Then you never would have known I was there," interrupted the smaller man, evidently guessing where the question was going. "Not for sure, anyway. I don't think I would have walked up and introduced myself to you, if that's what you think."

"I see."

"Don't get me wrong," Levi added. He sipped at his broth again before continuing. "I still wouldn't have let you starve. I'd have made sure you got off that island, too. I would have kept an eye on you until the cruise ship came to pick me up, and I would have told the crew about you and had them pick you up. I wouldn't have just abandoned you, Erwin."

It seemed wrong for Erwin to feel grateful to that shark for wounding Levi. To think, if it weren't for that chance encounter, he never would have met him face to face and he'd have spent the rest of his life wondering who was behind the provisions being left for him, wondering if he'd been completely out of his head while stranded.

"Thank you, Levi," he said softly. "You're a good man."

* * *

Erwin took diligent care of Levi, determined to make him well for both their sakes. The merman's fever didn't go down right away, and Erwin washed the shirt he'd lent him in the surf when Levi complained that it was starting to smell. He washed his other shirt as well, so he had nothing to lend his companion while the clothes were drying. He didn't want to try to get Levi into his shorts for fear of aggravating his wound in the process, so he left him in privacy in the shelter while they waited for the shirt to dry enough to put back on.

They talked when Erwin wasn't busy fishing or scavenging, and he told Levi the details of how he lost his yacht. Levi asked what he planned to do about it once he got back home, and Erwin replied that there wasn't much he _could_ do, except report the incident and hope the ship could be retrieved. Erwin cooled Levi's body off with water collected from the spring each day, sometimes three times per day. It seemed to be doing some good. He thought Levi's temperature was beginning to go back down, so he kept at it and he refreshed the saltwater poultice twice per day.

"I can't believe you use a sock to do this," Levi muttered on the third afternoon. Despite his complaints, he was cooperative with Erwin's attentions.

"If I had a sponge, I would use it." Erwin gave him a bare smile, trying hard not to stare at the other man's exposed chest. Erwin always left the bottom part of Levi's shirt buttoned to cover his groin when he did this, but it wasn't leaving much to the imagination. "It gets the job done."

Erwin wiped at Levi's chest after dipping the sock in the water again, and he watched the man's pink nipples tighten in response to the brush of material against them. Levi made a sound between a sigh and a murmur. He stirred, and he cracked his eyes open to gaze up at the bigger man. He didn't say anything, but the flush in his cheeks deepened. His mouth parted, and he made no move to stop Erwin's touch.

Was it an invitation he was seeing in those eyes? It certainly looked that way to Erwin, but he reminded himself that the man was sick. They didn't know each other very well, Levi wasn't human and he'd expressed an aversion to romance when asked about his love life. Why then were Erwin's fingers circling those pert nipples as if of their own volition? Levi took a breath, his pupils expanded and his brows pinched a bit. Still, he didn't move to stop Erwin or verbally reprimand him for taking liberties.

This was madness. It was insane, and yet Erwin couldn't stop himself. He gently squeezed the erect buds he was fondling, and he detected a shudder from the other man. "Does it feel good?" he asked huskily, rubbing the pebbled flesh again.

"Yeah," admitted Levi. His voice was breathy, and his chest rose and fell faster. The bottom of the shirt he was wearing started to tent suspiciously.

Erwin could have kicked himself for spouting his next question. "Do you want me to stop? Am I over-stepping myself?"

A flicker of confusion lit the merman's eyes. He parted his lips, hesitated and then shook his head. "Don't stop."

"This is crazy," muttered Erwin, but he kept playing with Levi's nipples, sensing the pleasure he was giving him. "We hardly know each other. Stranded on a deserted island, you with an injury and a fever."

"Sounds like you're conflicted," observed Levi. He raised his arms over his head and arched his back. "Nnh...you're not wrong though. We're in a fucked up...situation and...hah...damn, that feels good."

"You seemed shy up until now," Erwin pointed out. "You didn't want me seeing your nudity. Has something changed, or is it the fever affecting your judgment?"

Levi's throat worked, and his hooded gaze held Erwin's. "I think you're hot. It bothered me. You already know what I am though, and you haven't freaked out. You seem...like a good guy, and we're stuck here together for now."

Erwin gave the smaller man's nipples another squeeze, causing him to gasp and groan softly. Levi was very sensitive.

"Are you saying it's all right for us to get to know one another more intimately?" His heart was beating fast. He'd never connected with anyone this quickly before, never had a one-night stand or recklessly abandoned common sense in the heat of passion. Erwin feared he just might make an exception now.

"Yeah. My kind have sex the same way you do, if you're wondering," Levi informed him. "We don't do it like fishes. I've got all the same parts you do."

"So I've noticed."

Well excited now, Erwin undid the rest of the smaller man's shirt to expose him completely. He gazed down at him, drinking in the sight of him. He ran a hand over Levi's uninjured leg, feeling the texture of his scales and wondering over it. Levi bent the leg at the knee, and he reached out to reciprocate. His hand squeezed the blond's knee and then slid up his thigh. He then startled Erwin by boldly cupping and squeezing his crotch, and his smoky gaze met Erwin's again.

"You're big. I knew that already, though." The blush was back in full force. He was a creature of conflicting personality, Erwin realized...a paradox within himself. Levi's words caught his attention, and he tilted his head.

"How did you know?"

"I saw you," admitted Levi. "Bathing in the surf. That was when I decided to help you."

"Because you saw me naked?" Erwin smirked at him, and he stroked Levi's abdomen.

"Well, no. It did help me make up my mind, though. Couldn't let a guy that looks like you just starve to death."

Now it was Erwin's turn to blush; something he hadn't done since his early twenties. "Then it's a good thing you find me easy on the eyes. Who knows what would have become of me by now if I hadn't impressed you?"

"Eh, I'd have helped out even if you were a bowser." Levi's breath caught as Erwin gave his nipples attention again, and he licked his lips. "I've gotta confess, if you keep that up you might make me come."

"Is that so?" Erwin eased down beside him, and he leaned over to brush his lips against Levi's. "I would like to see that."

Levi nibbled Erwin's lips, his breath huffing. He started to roll his hips, and his erection rubbed against the blond's thigh when Erwin positioned it between his. "Hah...shit, I think you're gonna pretty soon."

Watching the growing bliss in his expression, feeling him shivering under his touch, Erwin started to wonder if he was falling in love with this creature. He forgot his manners as his passion pulled him under like a riptide. "Fuck, I want you so bad, Levi."

Levi started working open the buttons of Erwin's shirt, panting eagerly. He spread his legs, and his resulting gasp wasn't one of pleasure. Erwin paused his attentions, looking down at the left thigh with concern. "Easy. Don't try to move much."

"Good call," gritted Levi. His erection softened a little, and he sucked in a few quick breaths to manage the pain.

Erwin scooted back a little to make sure he didn't put any weight or friction on the injury. "Take a moment, Love."

The endearment got Levi's attention. He stared at Erwin, and the pallor of pain faded as he again demonstrated that cute way of blushing he had. "It's a little soon for pet names, don't you think?"

"Why?" Erwin refused to let it get awkward. He'd spoken from the heart, and if there was any time to use amorous words, this was it. "You don't like a little pillow talk?"

"I...that's not..." Levi was obviously getting flustered trying to explain himself. "Just talk dirty to me. That romantic stuff throws me off."

"I'll talk dirty all you like," promised Erwin, "once your pain fades." He kissed Levi's nose, then his cheekbones, and then his chin. "Tell me when it feels better, and try to relax. Let me take care of everything, Levi."

The merman looked as though he thought Erwin was joking, but after gazing into his sincere blue eyes for a while, he nodded. "Are you always so generous?"

Erwin smiled. "When I'm trying to get lucky with my savior? Yes."

The corners of Levi's eyes crinkled the slightest bit, betraying some amusement. "I don't know how lucky you're going to get while my thigh is still healing, but I can promise you one thing."

"What's that?" Erwin started kissing his throat, and he gently rubbed Levi's nipples one at a time while supporting himself on his right arm.

Levi gasped softly before supplying the answer. "I'm going to rock your world when this bite heals, Erwin Smith."

Erwin throbbed in his pants in response to that breathy vow. God, this guy was sexy. He could hardly believe they were doing this; making out with Levi in nothing but an open shirt. He wished he could ravish him, but he'd have to restrain himself for now. He slid his hand lower, whispering a reminder for Levi to be still when he felt his stomach tense beneath his hand. It was probably anticipation rather than anxiety provoking the reaction, but Erwin didn't want to move too fast all the same.

"I just want to touch you," he purred. He curled his fingers around Levi's cock, and he started to stroke it slowly. He lifted up to watch his face as he fondled him. The tip of Levi's member was flushed pink, and it began to glisten with precum as it hardened to full mast again. Remembering Levi's request concerning word usage, Erwin spoke huskily to him.

"Do you want me to fuck you, Levi?"

The smaller man made a sound that was nearly a whine. Erwin had made the right call. "Yeah, I want you to fuck me."

"Good." Erwin pulled at Levi's earlobe with his lips, and then he nuzzled the spot. "I've been fantasizing about it, almost from the first moment I saw you."

"I know."

Startled by the admission, Erwin pulled back to search his face. "Have I been that obvious?"

"No." Levi's hips canted helplessly when Erwin's thumb brushed back and forth over the shiny head of his cock, and he shuddered. "I don't think...most people would have noticed. I did, though. You've got a good...poker face, but your eyes gave you away."

Recalling how Levi had pointedly asked him if he was staring at his dick when he first transformed to his human form in front of him, Erwin thought he understood. Levi had admitted that he found him pleasing to the eyes and that it annoyed him. Erwin wanted to ask him more about it, but he didn't want to spoil the mood. Maybe he'd been through some bad relationships, or maybe it was just more complicated for Levi because his dating pool had to be limited.

"I should work on controlling my gaze more, then." Erwin kissed him softly and lingeringly. "I tried very hard not to lust after you."

"I know that too," breathed Levi. "You're not a pig. I could tell that about you right away."

Levi might have expressed an aversion to romantic talk, but to Erwin, his statement was just that. He kissed him again more deeply, and he stroked him faster. Levi's moans filled the blond's mouth, and his hands slipped into Erwin's shirt to explore the broad expanse of his chest. Erwin broke the kiss again to rasp a heartfelt admission to his companion.

"Damn, I'm glad you like men."

"Probably glad I like to take it up the ass too, I'll bet." Levi nipped at Erwin's collar bone. "You took a gamble with that one. What if I'd wanted to fuck you instead?"

"I could have compromised." Erwin paused in stroking Levi's cock to roll his balls in his palm, casually possessive. "When I want someone this bad, I'm willing to do that."

"Unh...g-good thing for you I like being topped." Levi started fussing with the buckle of Erwin's belt. "You've got me so fucking worked up, blondie."

"Wait." Erwin stopped him, though he would have dearly let this carry on to its preferred end. "You aren't well enough. We can't get carried away to the point where I hurt you."

"You're the one that was talking about fucking me," reminded Levi breathlessly.

"When your injury is better," insisted the bigger man firmly. "Tonight, just let me take care of you."

"But what fun is that for you?"

"I get to make you come." Erwin smiled at him, and he guided Levi's uninjured leg further open. "I'm sure I'll get my turn."

"You will, but—"

Erwin silenced Levi's weak protests with another kiss, and he slipped his hand between his butt cheeks to trace the pucker he found there. Levi's breath hitched and he clutched at Erwin. The bigger man kept rubbing the spot until it softened, taking delight in the sensitivity of it. Unfortunately, he had nothing immediately available to use as a lubricant. He hadn't expected this to happen, or he might have tried to extract some coconut oil. He had no idea how to do it, though.

"Put it in," demanded Levi, squirming.

"It would hurt if I did," reasoned Erwin. "Dry-fingering you would be a terrible idea."

"Damn it." Levi clenched his jaw, and he squeezed Erwin's hips. "What about spit? It's disgusting, but it would work, right?"

"It's not ideal," Erwin said hesitantly. "It might suffice for this, though. Are you sure?"

"Yeah," panted Levi. "I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise. Do it, hot stuff. I want it."

While Erwin still had his doubts, he complied with Levi's demand. He too wanted the intimacy of it, wanted to feel that tight little ass squeezing his fingers. He stopped his actions and he tried his best not to be obscene about it as he wet his fingers with his own saliva. Once the first two were liberally coated, he reached between Levi's thighs and under again. He lowered his mouth to Levi's right nipple and he circled it with the tip of his tongue as he pressed a finger inside of him carefully. Levi's body tensed for a moment and then relaxed. The merman exhaled slowly as he bore down to make the penetration easier.

Levi definitely had experience, but Erwin doubted he'd had sex very recently. He'd demonstrated knowledge on how this worked, but he was quite snug around Erwin's finger. He moaned Erwin's name, inadvertently clenching around him for a moment before loosening up. Levi's next words cleared any doubt from the blond's mind.

"Fuck, it's been a while."

Erwin slowed down, practicing more care. Though he knew Levi wasn't a virgin, he began to treat him like one out of consideration. He eased his finger in and out slowly, giving Levi a chance to adjust. He flicked his tongue against his nipple and tugged on it with his lips to distract him, and within a little while, Erwin found the spongy lump inside of Levi that he was gunning for. It would have been easier to locate it if he could have gotten Levi into a more ideal position, but Erwin had to take his wound into consideration.

"Oh, right there!" Levi's reaction was immediate, and Erwin had to weigh down his injured leg below the knee to keep him from moving it. Levi wasn't just sensitive in the nipple area. His sweet little body was highly responsive in all erogenous zones. That knowledge made Erwin's pride surge. He had him right where he wanted him.

"Hah...blondie...w-what are you...ooohhh!"

Erwin had migrated down, and he took Levi's straining cock into his mouth and started sucking on it. He tested him, trying different angles and rolling his tongue until he was sure he figured out just what felt best to him. Levi's responsiveness was absolutely beautiful. His vocalizations were seductive, though Erwin was sure he didn't consciously intend it. He paused in sucking him off to gently remind him again to try and relax, and he felt like a bit of a tyrant for demanding it. Massaging his prostate while sucking his cock wasn't exactly conducive to calming him.

"Erwin, gonna come," rasped Levi. He tensed as the blond slipped his middle finger inside of him as well, curling into an abdominal crunch. "Oh shit! Oh, fuck!"

Never had Erwin been more appreciative of profanities. Coming from Levi, they were a delight to his ears. Every curse he cried was a testament of how much pleasure he was getting out of this. Erwin kept it up, his head bobbing faster, his finger thrusting and stroking harder. Levi was starting to shake all over, and his voice was starting to sound pleading.

"I can't. Erwin, I can't k-keep still! It feels...so good, I just...hah...hah...nnnhh!"

Levi bucked in Erwin's mouth and the blond swallowed quickly as the smaller man's cum hit the back of his throat. It tasted no different from an ordinary man's spunk, really. Perhaps a bit sweeter than he was used to, but he knew Levi ate a lot of fruit. Erwin kept sucking until the pulses ended, and then he pulled his mouth free. He extracted his finger from inside of Levi once the muscles stopped quivering around it, and he lay down beside Levi.

"Come here," whispered Erwin, drawing Levi into his embrace.

Still dazed from his climax, Levi complied. His open mouth pressed against Erwin's throat as he caught his breath, still trembling. Erwin stroked his back, ignoring the unresolved pressure in his groin. He would take care of himself later if he wasn't calmed down enough to go without. For now, he savored the closeness he felt to this being. He rubbed Levi's back, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. Levi needed a bath soon. Erwin could smell the body odor and the taint of illness from him, but he didn't care enough to let it bother him.

"I loved doing that to you," confessed the blond softly. "Are you okay with me holding you like this?"

"Fine," answered Levi with a contented sigh.

His body was still trembling in the aftermath. Erwin held him closer, though still careful not to hold him too tightly or press against his injury. Levi calmed down after a while, and his lips pressed the softest, sweetest little kisses against Erwin's chest. It seemed Levi's affectionate side came out after getting off. That was fine; if it took an orgasm for Erwin to get him to cuddle, he would be happy to keep doing the honors.

* * *

Maybe the encounter was what it took. By the next morning, Levi's fever broke and he sweated out impurities throughout the day. Erwin bathed him as well as he could, made sure he had plenty of water to drink and helped him take his first walk since he'd gotten injured. He was doing well. He favored his left leg, but that was to be expected. They walked up and down the beach together, and Levi agreed to try on Erwin's shorts so that he could have something covering his bottom half besides the hanging shirt. The shorts were big on him as expected, but Erwin created a makeshift belt out of plant fibers he tied and twisted together and that did the trick.

Personally, he thought Levi looked cute in his clothes. Almost like a kid playing dress-up, but there was nothing childish about that face or that body. He refrained from commenting on it, blaming his reaction to the phenomenon known as "boyfriend shirt" that gave guys a thrill when their significant others wore their clothes.

 _~He isn't my boyfriend,~_ Erwin reminded himself as he and Levi sat down at camp to eat the last of the pickled eggs and share a coconut. He knew that this was probably just a temporary arrangement. Levi had hinted at that already, and once they were rescued, Levi would likely go his separate way. They came from two different worlds, and making a relationship work was difficult enough without the added complication of supernatural anatomy getting in the way.

But Erwin still thought of him as his boyfriend now. He'd believed nothing was going to happen between himself and Levi, that they might become friends but nothing more. Last night changed all of that, though. After touching and kissing him that way, Erwin knew he was in trouble. He feared Levi wouldn't even be willing to try establishing a permanent relationship with him, and he understood why. It couldn't be easy for someone like him to date an ordinary person. How would he even begin to explain the scales on his legs if he ever got intimate with a human? Maybe merfolk stuck with their own kind, and with good reason.

"Levi, can I ask you something about your people?"

Levi nodded, swallowing the chunk of coconut meat he'd been chewing on.

"Do many mer people ever date ordinary people?"

"Some do."

When he didn't elaborate, Erwin pressed for more. "How does that usually work? Do they hide their nature from their human partners? Do they abstain from sex to avoid discovery, or do they tell their lovers eventually and find a way around their differences?"

Levi sighed. He looked at Erwin with his mouth compressed, and the blond thought he was annoyed with him.

"I'm sorry if it hits too close to home for you," offered Erwin. "I was just—"

"Curious," finished Levi for him. "I know. To answer your question, yes some merfolk date humans. Some even marry them and have kids with them, but it's risky and it doesn't work out very often."

"You can interbreed with humans?" The information startled Erwin. "I wouldn't think we were genetically compatible to that end, like some animals from the same genus but different families."

"We can have kids with humans," explained Levi. "They just end up as hybrids. They all look human with no scales, but they're great swimmers and divers. I'd say over half of all Olympic swimmers are crossbreeds."

"How interesting. Giving birth must be part of the danger for the women of your kind, given that the medical staff in the hospital would notice the scales."

"Actually, the medical community thinks it's a skin condition. Enough merfolk have had to go to human doctors over the years that it's listed under some dermatitis shit...a genetic condition that isn't contagious. I can't think of what they call it, but every mer person knows to tell medical staff they have it if they need treatment for something."

"Good cover," approved Erwin.

"It does the job," Levi agreed.

"What other dangers are there besides the human taking it badly when he or she finds out about their partner's nature?"

Levi looked away. "Sometimes they accept it and things move on, but then what do you think happens if there's a bad break-up? Say you're with someone, things aren't working out and you try to leave them. They know your secret and they try to blackmail you into staying with them by threatening to expose you to the world. That's one danger in getting involved with your kind."

Erwin's expression softened. Now he understood, or at least, he suspected. "Are you speaking from personal experience?"

The smaller man met his gaze again. He appeared to debate within himself, and he finally nodded. "Yeah."

"May I ask what changed in your relationship? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Levi shrugged. "He got too controlling. I think to him, he was just trying to protect me. After I told him, showed him what I am, we got intimate. That was when things started getting too intense for me. He was always checking in on me, always trying to keep me away from the water. He said he was scared someone would spot me or I'd get caught up in a fishing boat's net. He was scared of sharks getting me, too."

Levi glanced down at his thigh with a dry little smirk. "I guess now I can't blame him for that part."

"I suppose not." Erwin smiled a little.

"He was scared of everything, that guy." Levi sighed. "Tried to bubble-wrap me from the world, and then it went from bad to worse. I could barely even go to work without him blowing up my phone with text messages. He started getting jealous, too. I warned him a few times, but he wouldn't get his shit together and change his attitude. I gave him a month...plenty of time as far as I'm concerned, and when it still didn't improve, I gave him the boot."

"Did he ever try to do it? Expose your secret, I mean."

"He tried." Levi spotted a stray shell, and he picked it up from the sand to examine it. "Nobody believed him, though. His family had him committed when he wouldn't stop trying to convince everyone he'd been fucking a fish man."

"Then no harm was done." Erwin shrugged. "I imagine the same thing would happen to anyone else that tries to spread stories about merpeople being real. That's like claiming you've got a pet unicorn or dragon, these days."

"There's still a danger," insisted Levi. "Merfolk have disappeared in the past after being found out. I've got a friend that thinks there's a government branch that knows about us, but they haven't revealed it to the public yet because they don't have enough proof. Kind of like UFO's and alien conspiracies. My friend figures they haven't done anything because it's easier for them to sit on it, seeing as we aren't any bigger a threat than ordinary people."

"But still, who in this day and age would believe it without seeing it for themselves?" insisted Erwin. "I didn't believe it myself when I saw you come out of the water like that. I thought I was going to go into hysterics for a little while."

"Say someone with a vendetta on the brain finds just the right person or people to talk to," Levi pointed out. "There _are_ people out there that would look into it, Erwin. And if someone comes to them with information of where they could find one of us, don't think they wouldn't jump on it. The government might not be going public with it, but I'm pretty sure they've rounded up some of us in the past as test subjects."

"Is that what your friend says? How can you know? People go missing all the time. How can you be sure any of it's government related with your kind?"

Levi examined the seashell again. "The friend that I mentioned has an interest in science herself. She's also kind of a conspiracy theorist, and she swears she saw a woman of our kind dragged into an unmarked black van one night. The kind you'd expect of a government agency. If she wasn't some drug dealer getting busted by the FBI then I'd say there's a good chance she ended up in some science lab. My friend is also a computer nerd and she's stumbled across some things on the web that raised her suspicions. Not only that, but the things she found vanished shortly after she found them, so that means someone figured out it was being looked in on and pulled it."

It all sounded wild and a bit paranoid to Erwin, but he reasoned that Levi and his kind had sufficient reason to be wary. If as Levi said the government was aware of merfolk, why wouldn't they want to study their anatomy and find out more? It was human nature to discover, to learn about the world and the inhabitants in it. They even studied the remains of creatures long dead and extinct to learn more about them.

"I promise you," vowed Erwin, "that I will never be a threat to your secret. No matter what happens between us when we get out of here, I'll never betray you."

Levi studied him, dropping the seashell. "I don't know, after the way you were going on about dropping a chunk of sea salt in a hot tub with me. Maybe I gave you too much information."

"That was all hypothetical," Erwin assured him. "I was trying to understand how it all works. I wasn't suggesting that I would actually do it."

Levi bit his lip, and he gazed out at the horizon. "I don't know," he repeated softly.

"Levi, please. Don't start shutting me out. I understand this subject is upsetting for you, but have I given you any reason to mistrust me?"

"I'm the only hope you have to get out of here," Levi reminded him, "unless you're lucky enough for a ship or airplane to fly overhead and see your little help message. Of course you've got to be nice to me."

"That isn't how it is," Erwin stated. "You're projecting, Levi. I've been taking care of you first and foremost because I didn't want to see you die. Yes, I also wanted the company, which I freely admit. I genuinely like and care about you."

Levi's hooded gaze fell on Erwin again. "Will you still feel that way if I never contact you again after this is all over? You sure you won't feel snubbed and want just a little revenge?"

Erwin bowed his head with a sigh, and he rested his hands on his knees. "I won't lie to you; I would be hurt and disappointed. I consider you my friend at the very least, and even if we have sex while we're here and you decide it was just a 'what happens in Vegas' scenario, I would still want to be friends. I can't promise I wouldn't try to change your mind about being more than that, but I wouldn't try to compel or harass you to get my way. I can accept 'no' for an answer, even if it's hard for me."

There was conflict in the merman's expression when Erwin looked at him again to gauge his reaction. Erwin could see that he was trying to work things out in his head, but other than that, it was difficult to guess what conclusion he might come to.

"I guess we'll see," said Levi at last. "I'll think about it. Right now I'm thirsty again. Need to get back in the shade."

Erwin nodded. He knew how to push a proposal, but he also knew when to be silent.

* * *

-To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

They didn't get intimate again after their talk. They still lay together in the shelter and shared body warmth, but Erwin sensed Levi's walls go up again, and aside from put his arm around him at night, he didn't try to initiate anything more. Levi wanted time to think about it, and he still had healing to do. Erwin gave that to him, and he tried to keep conversation between them light during the next few days.

He knew that Levi hadn't lost interest. At least, his body hadn't. Erwin could feel it when Levi pressed up against him at night. He could feel the stir of Levi's arousal against his own, so the sexual attraction was still there, at least. He just had to find a way to alleviate the smaller man's trust issues.

He was getting better at catching fish, and Levi started walking on his own. The merman even took a brief swim in the shallows when his wound had closed up enough, and Erwin watched with fascination as his companion cut through the waves smoothly, arrow-straight. If he could swim that fast with a healing injury, it was no wonder Levi didn't use a boat to get around these islands. Erwin sat down on the rocks to watch his love interest frolic, mesmerized by the way the graceful fan of his silver tail fins flipped through the water.

Seeing him again in this form, Erwin realized that Levi's scales also had specs of silver through the black parts of it. He hadn't noticed that before when he collected him from the shoal further out in the water. The silver specs also didn't show up on his scales when Levi had his legs.

Erwin tried not to worry when his companion vanished beneath the water for an extended amount of time. He hadn't noticed any gills on Levi when he first saw him with his tail, but maybe in the heat of the moment, he'd just been less observant. Maybe merfolk didn't need gills, or maybe they could just hold their breath for a long time like other marine mammals. He still knew so little about it.

Just when Erwin was on the verge of diving into the water to search for Levi, the merman surfaced again. He had his hands full of what appeared to be kelp, and he used his tail to propel himself back to the shore. Levi beached himself, his tail flapping in the sand as he pulled himself along on his elbows. Erwin hurried to his aid, noticing that the knapsack Levi had tied around his waist before going into the water looked to be filled with something.

"Here, take it," said the merman in a slightly winded voice. He held up the strings of kelp for Erwin to collect, and then he untied the knapsack from around his waist. "Hope you like abalone. I found some further out on a reef."

Erwin hadn't even realized Levi had swam out that far. He must have done it after he dove deeper under the water and went out of sight. "So that's what the knapsack was for. I wondered." He examined Levi closely, looking for gills.

"What are you staring at?" Levi grunted, sitting up and laying his tail flat on the sand to let the sun dry it out.

"I was trying to figure out if you have a way of breathing water, or if you were just holding your breath for all that time. I don't see any gills."

"We don't have any. Our lungs can let us breathe both water and air."

When Erwin seemed perplexed, Levi sighed. "Look at hermit crabs. They can go on land and in the water. Think of it kind of like that."

"When you put it that way, I guess it makes sense." Erwin looked at the dripping seaweed draped over his arm with a little frown. "What are we doing with this? Making rope?"

"No, we're gonna eat it. We can dry some of it out for later, but it'll make a good addition to the abalone tonight. Don't tell me you've never heard of eating seaweed. Haven't you ever tried sushi?"

"Yes, but I thought there was some special process to cook it," excused Erwin.

Levi shook his head. "No, it can be eaten raw or cooked. There's nothing complicated about it unless you're making a seaweed salad and need seasoning for it. This will have to do."

"I hadn't even thought of trying to harvest kelp," mused Erwin. He smiled at his dripping companion. "Levi, you're a genius."

Levi's mouth twitched as though he wanted to smile, and his cheeks gained some color in them. He dragged his wet bangs away from his eyes, slicking them back. "Yeah well, when you spend a lot of time surrounded by water, you learn things. Now go soak that kelp in fresh water to clean all the grit off of it, and keep your back turned to me until I get my legs back and get dressed."

"I've already seen...oh, never mind." Erwin did as he was bidden, giving up on pointing out the obvious. Levi's modesty was a little frustrating after they'd done all but fuck that one night, but if it made him feel more in control and secure, so be it.

* * *

For all his dining experiences at fine restaurants, Erwin couldn't recall ever sampling abalone before. He expected Levi to boil them like mussels or clams, but instead, he pried them open, cut them into slices and soaked them in some sea water. He gathered some of the cooking skewers they'd fashioned, and he started wrapping the pieces of abalone meat in some of the seaweed they had dried in the sun.

"I've never done it like this before," confessed Levi after loading up four skewers. He handed two over to Erwin. "Usually I batter them up, pan fry them in some butter and drizzle some lemon onto them. We don't have any of the stuff to do that, so we'll have to settle for roasting them like marshmallows. Don't let this ruin your opinion of abalone, though. It's really good when it's prepared right."

Erwin set one of his skewers aside, and he concentrated on cooking the other one evenly. "Do you eat this a lot?"

Levi nodded, also dangling his skewer over the fire. "When I'm out here, yeah. I catch them myself when they're in season. That's why I usually come here during this time of year. Abalone's too fucking expensive to buy from a grocer, so I just harvest my own. There's a limit to how many each diver is allowed to gather each day, though. Otherwise they'd get fished out."

"I doubt the marine conservation authorities would notice if you took more than your share in this area," mused Erwin.

"Doesn't matter. It's usually just me, I like it fresh and I like to keep it available when I take time away. If I get greedy, it could just go to waste and I'll end up clearing out my harvest spots before my vacation's up."

"And your job is okay with you taking a full month off?" Erwin didn't know much about working in a warehouse or factory. He himself only took one vacation a year, and the longest one before this had been for ten days. At least he had a good excuse to give the office for why his five day cruise turned into a month or longer.

"This is the slow season." Levi turned his skewer, and then he pulled it away from the fire to test the readiness of the food on it. "They run a skeleton crew this time of year. Since I never ask for holidays or my birthday off, I build up owed vacation time through the year and use it all to come out here. Oh, you shouldn't cook that much longer. It'll get tough if you overheat it."

Erwin pulled his skewer back, and he waited for the food to cool before trying an experimental bite. The seaweed was crisp from being dried and cooked, and it was also fibrous. It didn't taste bad, but it wasn't something to write home about. The meat of the abalone was a little chewy, but flavorful.

"Hmph, it's not total shit," Levi mumbled after sampling his own. "Doesn't do it justice this way, though. It'll do once in a while as long as we're here."

"It's better than that fish I burned at lunch," Erwin remarked.

"Anything would be better than that." Levi smirked at him. "You also didn't scale it right."

Erwin blinked at him. "I didn't?"

Levi shook his head. "No. I got one wedged between my teeth. It was probably just a fluke, because I didn't notice you having any trouble."

"Damn. I'm sorry." Erwin glanced accusingly at his knife, sitting on top of his trunk. "My blade must need sharpening. I thought I was improving, too."

"Hey, it happens sometimes." Levi shrugged, and he pulled another morsel off his skewer. "At least you haven't screwed up with the gutting. I didn't get a catch cleaned out all the way once and it was fucking gross."

Erwin chuckled, imagining Levi's disgust. "You didn't notice until you bit into it?"

"I don't want to talk about it," decided the smaller man. "I'm trying to eat here, and thinking about it too much will ruin my appetite."

Erwin let the subject drop. He didn't really want to know what surprise Levi got in his mouth when he tried to eat a partly gutted fish.

* * *

"Levi, you should go ahead and borrow my toothbrush," Erwin suggested at sunset. "Scrubbing your teeth with that twig probably isn't doing much for your oral hygiene, even with toothpaste."

Levi paused, looking over at the blond with a white smear of said paste on his lips. "I don't share toothbrushes. That's disgusting."

"We've kissed," reminded Erwin. "We've drank from the same container, eaten with the same utensils. How is using my toothbrush going to be any worse than that?"

Levi opened his mouth, shut it, and then just looked plain annoyed.

"You don't have an answer for that, do you?" challenged Erwin with a grin. He nodded at the twig in Levi's hand. "Honestly, do you think a stick is more sanitary than sharing with me?"

Levi grimaced at the twig in his hand.

"I'll bet you spend so much time rinsing afterwards because you get fibers and splinters in your mouth," Erwin went on. He dipped his toothbrush in the jar of water he'd placed for rinsing it, and he swished it around thoroughly before offering the brush to Levi. "Take it. Your mouth will thank you."

Levi sighed, chucked the twig away and took the brush. He dabbed some of the paste from the tube on the bristles, hesitated for a few seconds and then began to brush. Satisfied that he'd won this minor battle, Erwin washed his face off. He watched Levi covertly from the corner of his eye as the smaller man vigorously scrubbed his teeth, apparently getting over his aversion to sharing the toothbrush.

* * *

Erwin was just starting to drift off to sleep when Levi's voice roused him.

"Erwin?"

The blond opened his eyes to look at his companion's shadowed face. Levi was gazing at him, and the moonlight that made its way through the gaps in the curtain made his eyes glitter. "What is it, Levi?"

The smaller man placed his hand on Erwin's chest. His upper leg slid over on top of Erwin's, bending at the knee. "I'm cold."

Erwin didn't hesitate to embrace him. "It is a little chilly tonight."

Levi nodded. He dropped his gaze, and his bangs partly covered his eyes. "I've thought about it."

"About what?"

"The talk we had the other day about the danger of my kind mingling too close with yours."

Erwin warned himself not to get his hopes up, but the fact that Levi was embracing him this way made him feel like things were on the right track. "And? What did you conclude?"

Levi sighed, and he met Erwin's gaze again. "I don't know if I can trust you, that's still true. I want to, but the prettiest wrapping can still hide something rotten. You already know about me, so you telling people about what I am is already a danger."

Erwin nodded slowly. "I understand your concern."

"I still like you," Levi told him. "Still want you. Don't delude yourself though. When we're safely on a ship away from here, be prepared to leave what happened between us behind with these islands. Maybe we can keep in touch, but don't count on anything more."

Having already heard the same ground rules, Erwin still felt he needed to clarify one last time. "So while we're on this island we can be lovers. Once we're off of it, we're just acquaintances."

"Yeah. Two ships passing in the night. Maybe we'll see each other again, maybe not. It's all I can give you right now. Is that going to be good enough for you?"

There was no other choice for Erwin. Not really. "It's good enough."

"Then since I've finally given my teeth a proper cleaning," said Levi, and he made his intentions known by closing in for a kiss. He parted his lips when the blond probed at them, allowing him entry. Sinuously caressing, their tongues met and stroked and parted. Erwin cupped the side of Levi's face, fighting back a groan of desire. The smaller man was rubbing up against him, his hands tugging the buttons of Erwin's shirt open.

"Been wanting to do that for days," gasped Levi when they paused in their kissing for some air.

"Why didn't you?" Erwin cupped Levi's ass, kneading it and feeling the firmness of it under his hands. "Because you were still thinking about our conversation?"

"No, I made my mind up about that the next day." Levi dragged his mouth down to Erwin's throat, sucking and licking at it as he spoke. "My mouth felt disgusting, though. I didn't want to kiss you while my teeth were fuzzy."

"That's why you waited so long to give me a signal?" Erwin couldn't help but laugh.

"Oi, it was supposed to be a courtesy," protested Levi.

"I'm just relieved." Erwin sobered a bit, and he cupped Levi's chin when the smaller man sulked at him. "I thought you'd changed your mind about all the things you said that night when we fooled around."

"No. I just had to think of how to tell you what I said a few minutes ago. My not making a move on you was because of my teeth." Levi shrugged, and he kissed the portion of Erwin's chest that he'd bared. "I could have sucked you off or something I guess. That would have been one way to show my interest without kissing."

"Then why didn't you?" Erwin ran his hands up, slipping them beneath the back of Levi's shirt to caress his spine.

Levi tilted his head. "Because you're the kind of guy that likes kissing. You'd have pushed for some mouth-to-mouth action and that would have given me away."

"I see." Erwin was hard-put not to laugh again. He moved his hands around to Levi's front to touch his chest and stomach, still keeping them under the shirt. "Then it's a good thing I convinced you to use my toothbrush."

"Mmm, I'll agree with that," sighed Levi. His eyes drifted shut when Erwin's fingers grazed his nipples.

Erwin was finished talking. He rolled onto his back, urging Levi to come with him and straddle him. He paused once they were positioned, and he gently traced the roughened patch of scales on the other man's left outer thigh. "How is it? Is this comfortable enough for you?"

"Yeah." Levi rose up, bracing his hands against Erwin's chest as the bigger man started undoing his shirt for him. "It's just a little sore now."

Satisfied enough with the answer, Erwin finished getting Levi out of his shirt, leaving the merman in only the oversized, rolled-up shorts he'd lent to him. Even as baggy as they were on Levi, Erwin could see the bulge of his arousal straining at the crotch. He was in the same state, and he shifted beneath Levi so that their packages lined up with each other. Teasingly, he grinded against him, his hands stroking the inside of the smaller man's thighs.

"So I take it you want me to ride you?" Levi smirked down at him.

"It makes sense right now. Gives you more control."

Levi bent over to kiss him, undulating on top of him. "Afraid you might lose yours, blondie?"

"Yes." Erwin's fingers dug into Levi's hips, and his jaw tensed. "If I get on top, I'm afraid I might cripple you again."

"Oh? Someone thinks highly of his endowments. Now, let me see." Levi reached down between his legs, and he palmed Erwin's package for a moment. "Granted, I saw you from a distance that day I watched you bathe in the surf, but I was impressed."

Erwin lay still beneath him as Levi undid his belt and started working his pants open. He tried to steady his breathing, and his cock twitched so hard it thumped against Levi's knuckles while he worked to free it.

"Shit," breathed Levi, finally getting the blond exposed. "That _is_ impressive, Smith. Now that I'm seeing it up close, I've got to concede your point."

"We have lubricant," Erwin assured him. "The coconut oil you extracted to use on our skin and hair. That can serve as lube, can't it?"

"Yeah." Levi was still staring at Erwin's dick with slightly raised brows. "And we're going to have to be generous with it."

Erwin stifled his passion a bit, remembering how tight Levi had felt around him the night he'd fingered him to orgasm. No matter how excited he got, no matter how badly he wanted this man, he couldn't let his libido ruin this encounter. Not if he wanted there to be another one, and he already knew he would.

"We'll take it slow, Levi. I don't want to hurt you."

* * *

Just as he promised, Erwin took his time. It was sweet agony to wait, but he practiced patience and he worked his fingers inside of the other man to loosen him up. He muffled Levi's soft cries with kisses, let him explore his body with hands and lips even when Erwin thought he might go mad from it. Levi was quite good with his hands. He stroked Erwin's cock with a firm grip, eager and experimental in his desire to make Erwin feel good too.

"You like this, big guy?" purred Levi between gasps. "And this?"

Erwin tensed and shuddered. "Hah...Levi, that spot is sensitive."

Levi stroked the underside of Erwin's glans again, smirking tightly. "One good turn deserves another—oh!"

Levi's startled exclamation came when Erwin pressed firmly against his prostate.

"Ease up," demanded Erwin huskily.

"Bastard," gasped Levi.

Erwin did it again, making the smaller man cry out. Levi complied with his instructions then, overcome by the sensation of having his g-spot manipulated so firmly. Erwin kept thrusting and curling his fingers inside of him, showing little mercy. He wasn't prone to doing so once he found all the right pleasure buttons. Erwin's restraint only extended to causing his partners pain, and right now, he knew Levi wasn't in it.

"Coming," rasped Levi. Another string of oaths exploded from him. He lifted up a little and began to piston his hips in desperation. His bangs hung over his eyes, black against pale, flushed skin. He stared down at Erwin with furrowed brows and parted lips. "Ah...ahhh!"

His pearly, warm essence struck Erwin's stomach in a thick smatter. Erwin smiled, watching him as Levi gasped and squirmed atop him. Seeing him like this only made the blond want him more. He backed off a bit, slowing and gentling the thrust of his fingers, feeling the spasmodic clenching of Levi's ass around them. Erwin rubbed the smaller man's hip, listened to his breath hitch and gasp. When Levi calmed down, Erwin took his fingers out of him and he reached for the jar of coconut oil they were using for this encounter. The temperature had dropped enough for the substance to begin thickening, as was typical when it cooled.

Erwin scooped some out with his fingers, urged his companion to lift his hips so that he could lube up his throbbing cock for added glide. "You're so goddamned sexy," he complimented huskily. "I've never met anyone like you before."

"Maybe you have," suggested Levi in a winded voice, "but you just didn't know it."

"I don't mean because you're a merman," clarified Erwin with a smile. "I mean _you_ , Levi. Your looks, your personality, the way you move. You're the most singularly intriguing person I've ever known. There's a depth of mystery behind those bedroom eyes of yours, and it makes me want to find out what secrets are behind them."

"You don't have to try and seduce me with words." Levi bent over, closing in on the bigger man for a brief but sensual kiss. "You've already got me."

Erwin didn't verbally respond to that. Yes, he had Levi—at least for now. He might never see him again once they got rescued, however. Erwin decided that he would make sure to leave such a lasting impression on this man that even if Levi did as he warned and stopped all contact with him, he would never be able to forget how he felt inside of him. Erwin wanted every future encounter Levi might have with other men to fail to measure up to the way he made him feel, wanted to make sure the man would regret his decision if he went through with it.

Cupping the side of one of the merman's firm buttocks, he gripped himself with his other hand to guide his cock in. Once he felt the slippery ring of muscle give, and he exhaled unsteadily when he penetrated Levi's warmth to the tip. Erwin stopped there, looking up at the sculpted, flushed face hovering over his own. He saw Levi's eyes widen slightly, saw his brows hedge and his mouth go slack. He waited for the impulsive clenching around him to relax before flexing his hips and pushing deeper.

Levi grunted a little, bowing his head and sucking in a breath through rounded lips. "Fuck...so big. Nobody's ever...stretched me this much inside, blondie."

Erwin paused, blue eyes searching on his trembling companion. He suffered a horrible fear that Levi wouldn't be able to take his girth and they'd have to stop, but he would rather do that than keep going and cause him harm.

Levi opened his eyes and looked down at him when Erwin didn't go any deeper. "That's not a complaint, stud. Feels amazing. You don't have to stop."

Erwin sighed with relief, and he stroked Levi's hips before sliding his hands around to his front. He caressed Levi's stomach, feeling the tight abdominal muscles flex beneath his palms and fingers. He brushed his thumbs over the navel, briefly dipped them lower to touch the crisp, fine hairs at the peak of the treasure trail leading down to Levi's groin. Erwin then let his hands travel upwards, recalling vividly how Levi reacted to having his nipples stimulated. Erwin gently squeezed them both before playing with them, and Levi's cock twitched.

"Mmm, I love that," admitted Levi in a breathy tone of pleasure. His mouth fell open and he straightened up, gasping softly as Erwin fed him more of his length. The distraction of having his nipples fondled helped the penetration go easier for him. He relaxed his thighs, easing further down on the blond's impaling cock. "Erwin."

"Good, Levi," encouraged the blond. He pinched the sensitive nubs between his thumbs and middle fingers, and he flicked at them with the tip of his index fingers.

"Oooh," exclaimed Levi, breath catching.

Now fully seated inside of him, Erwin rubbed Levi's nipples in gentle circles. He began to move, lifting and lowering his pelvis with subtle, smooth pumps for a start. Levi readily participated, hips undulating and rotating fluidly like he was performing a sensual dance. The low sounds of pleasure from him grew louder, and he kneaded and stroked Erwin's torso, petting the fine pattern of golden hair on Erwin's chest as if fascinated by it.

"So deep in me," moaned Levi, his head lolling.

"And you're so tight around me," observed Erwin breathlessly.

It trumped every other encounter he'd had before. Levi's body fit around him as if made for him, tight but not excessively constrictive. As the couple moved together, Levi's body adjusted more to the penetration, further molding to the shape of the blond's sex. Erwin had the initial intention of starting out slow and gradually getting more forceful, but something prompted him to change his approach. He didn't want this encounter to become something rough and urgent. Erwin wanted their first time to last as long as it could, wanted it to be burned in both their memories.

He didn't want to fuck Levi tonight. He wanted to make love to him.

With that realization, Erwin worked himself into a sitting position. Still fondling Levi's nipples, he captured the merman's panting mouth in a kiss. He delved his tongue between his lips with unhurried deliberation. Stroking, gliding, thrusting, he treated Levi's mouth with the same erotic care he was treating his body. He could tell the other man approved by his passionate gasps and the quietly intensive way his tongue returned Erwin's attentions. Levi's fingers carded through Erwin's hair—which was getting too shaggy for the executive's liking. Levi didn't seem to mind that it wouldn't retain its usual style when groomed, but he'd never seen Erwin at his finest.

That was another thing the blond was enamored with about this relationship, whatever kind of relationship it was; Levi had seen him at his worst, and he still wanted him. He didn't know Erwin the Corporate CEO. He didn't know the cut throat, ambitious businessman that carefully hid his thoughts behind a stoic, impenetrable mask and a cool, calm gaze. Levi knew Erwin the man, a person that only a select few people ever got a glimpse of. Levi accepted him for the person he was, saw his quirks and liked him all the same for them.

Erwin broke the kiss to stare into the other man's eyes, finding them more expressive now in the heat of the encounter than he'd ever witnessed before. There was a surrender in the gray depths, and some emotion Erwin couldn't really identify, at first. As their gazes remained locked and their groans and gasps of desire passed between them, he started to see it. Levi didn't just want him. He _felt_ for him, and Erwin detected a touch of fear in his eyes. His mythical lover didn't want to care about him, didn't want to get attached, and yet he couldn't fight it.

He could win him over, Erwin realized. Maybe Levi had never made love before. Maybe he'd gone into this thinking it would just be sex, nothing more than an exchange of physical gratification with someone he found appealing and happened to be currently stuck with. Erwin could read it in his eyes, clearer and clearer with each passing moment. The merman was caught as surely as if in a net, and it was too late to wriggle free. The dawning realization on his face spoke louder than words.

Erwin stopped fondling one nipple to caress Levi's face, attempting to reassure him without words. Saying something right now would have been in error. Calling verbal attention to what he saw might just spark vehement denial and anxiety in Levi, and so Erwin said nothing about it. He leaned in to kiss the smaller man's jaw, his breath huffing against the soft white skin as his lips moved over it.

"I'm close," Levi whimpered suddenly, his fingers curling into Erwin's hair. The shaken fervor of his voice was new to Erwin. He was used to Levi sounding either flatly dispassionate, irritated or in the case of sexual pleasure, urgent. This was different; out of character from what Erwin had been exposed to thus far. It was open and vulnerable, almost pleading.

"Come," encouraged the blond, both endeared and excited by the change in Levi's tone. "It's all right, love. Don't hold it back. I'll give you more afterwards, I promise. You'll have more than one orgasm tonight, and that's a promise."

The rhythm of Levi's pelvis became jerky with distraction, and he bit his lip. "I know you're...good for your word," he breathed. "I just...I just want to let it build. Want to...hah..."

"Make it last," finished Erwin for him, understanding what he was trying to say. His heart seemed to swell with emotion in a way he'd never experienced with other partners. "I know, sweetheart. I want it to last too."

Erwin knew Levi must be pretty far gone, because he didn't make a snide remark about the blond's use of words as would have normally been expected of him. In fact, he crushed his mouth against Erwin's, his hands sliding over the blond's broad shoulders and then around to his back. He stroked Erwin's spine, moaning into his mouth in that needy, helpless way that heated Erwin's blood and made him dizzy with lust for him.

"Levi," groaned Erwin when their lips parted. He rested his cheek against the smaller man's, closing his eyes and savoring every blissful second. He deliberately slowed his thrusts even more, moving inside of him with excruciating slowness so as to experience every glide of ribbed flesh sliding against his cock. He embraced the merman, pressing wet kisses along his shoulder.

Wanting to shake loose that composure Levi was so desperately trying to cling to, Erwin reached between the other male's straddling thighs to stroke his cock. It was dripping with precum, throbbing greedily in Erwin's grip. Panting, he pumped his hand up and down, sucking on the silken skin against his lips until he left a strawberry mark on it.

"Oh God," cried Levi, putting his arms around him. His legs wrapped around Erwin's waist, and he nuzzled the blond's mussed hair. "Erwin...Erwin!"

Worked up by Levi's expressed pleasure, Erwin started taking him faster and a little harder. Levi's back arched and he tossed his head back. The wet splash of his cum hit Erwin's torso. His ass squeezed the blond's length rhythmically with his orgasm, massaging it and driving Erwin close to the edge.

"Nnnnh," came Erwin's rough growl through clenched teeth. It was so close that he could hear his pulse pounding in his ears, and for a second, he thought he was going to lose the battle. He stopped moving, holding Levi tightly as he breathed almost as if in labor to try and regain control of himself.

Levi was too dazed to notice Erwin's struggle at first, but when he recovered from his climax, he pulled back to look at the bigger male's strained face. He cupped it in his palms, and he pressed his forehead against Erwin's, still gasping for breath.

"You don't...have to hold back either, you know."

"I want to," insisted Erwin tightly, "for the same reasons you did. Please, just give me a moment."

Levi complied, stilling his hips and combing his fingers through Erwin's hair. "Easy, big guy. Deep breaths."

Erwin nodded in agreement, and when he felt the danger of arrival had faded to a more controllable level, he rolled over with his companion, situating Levi beneath him. He sat back on his heels between the scaled thighs, and he stroked the outside of them, still buried inside of the prone merman.

"Does this position hurt?"

Levi shook his head, his dark hair spreading out beneath it. He laid his hands over Erwin's larger ones, squeezing them. "Keep going, handsome."

Erwin eagerly complied, but he tempered himself, still insisting on taking it slow and making it last. He wasn't the sort of man who would normally describe an encounter as "magical", but that was exactly what it felt like to him. He turned his hands over, twined his fingers with Levi's and pushed the smaller man's hands over his head. He held them there firmly, but not so tight that he caused discomfort. Levi seemed to get off on that, and he panted Erwin's name as the blond thrust over him.

He had to rein himself in so that his mouth wouldn't run away on him and start spouting off romantic declarations...especially those that included the "L" word in them. He didn't even know if it was really love he was starting to feel for this man, or if it was just blinding infatuation. Best to play it safe, especially when Levi was so flighty over the possibility of anything more happening between them in the future.

* * *

Some time later, Erwin lay sweating, spent and gasping beside his companion. They'd done it twice in varying positions; straddling, missionary and finally spooning in the end. Levi came three times in total, twice during the first time and again with the second. Erwin was impressed with himself for lasting as long as he did the first time. He'd broken his own record, and that was a triumph for him not only because it boosted his ego, but because he'd been looking forward to it so much that he really hadn't believed he could draw it out for that long. He'd even feared that he might arrive faster than he had his very first time as a teenager.

He still had it. More than that, he'd exceeded his own expectations of himself. Judging by the awed and exhausted expression on Levi's comely face, he'd exceeded the merman's expectations as well. Erwin smiled, and he traced Levi's still-flushed features with his fingertips.

"You look so cute right now," he complimented. "I could really get used to looking at you in the afterglow like this."

Levi's gaze focused on him, and it seemed that the flush in his cheeks deepened. "Whatever."

Erwin chuckled, and he cuddled close to him. He liked the way Levi's small, strong frame fit against his. He wouldn't have expected it to with their size difference, but every curve, angle and bulge matched up like two pieces of a puzzle. He breathed in the mingled scent of sex, sweat and ocean clinging to Levi, and he rubbed his back.

"I look forward to making you look like that again soon."

Levi pressed his face against Erwin's chest, and he mumbled into it. "I guess you plan on doing that a lot, huh?"

"Absolutely." Erwin smiled in the darkness, and he sighed. The sound of the waves and the warmth of Levi's embrace soon lulled him into a deep, contented sleep.

* * *

-To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

They spent their days scavenging for food, repairing structural damage to their little shelter caused by weather and wind, and making preparations to travel to Levi's shack once he was strong enough to make the swim. Levi stopped being modest about his nudity after drying from a swim in the ocean. Indeed, he started spending most of his time comfortably naked under the shade of the palm trees in their camp as he rested up from harvesting mollusks, kelp and crustaceans from the sea for their meals. This drove Erwin to distraction, and more than once he overcooked a catch or outright burned it because he couldn't tear his eyes off Levi's supple nudity.

Levi teased him about it with a knowing smirk, more forgiving of Erwin's culinary lapses than he would have been before they started sleeping together. It felt like they were boyfriends to Erwin, and he had to keep reminding himself that Levi hadn't indicated a change of heart over his decision yet.

Erwin almost hoped they would never get rescued and lived the rest of their lives out together on the small, remote island chain.

"Oi, are you listening?" Levi asked him one morning when he caught Erwin staring off into space. "Smith, do you have to take a shit or what? You've got this blank stare going on like you're trying to work a loaf out."

Erwin shook himself out of it, his attention caught as always by Levi's crude and un-apologetic reference to bodily wastes. "I'm sorry. I was calculating the distance of the coordinates you gave me."

It was a blatant lie, but he wasn't about to admit he was fantasizing about spending his life stranded there. "Do you really think you're ready for this?"

Levi nodded, briefly rubbing the little ridges of scar tissue on his left outer thigh from the bite he'd sustained. "Absolutely. We'll tie the jar of fish we dried to your trunk so we can snack on it. I know I'll probably get hungry during the swim. If we fill the canteen up all the way, it should last long enough for both of us. I won't need to drink as much fresh water as usual since I'll be in the ocean, though. Biggest concern I've got it one or both of us getting a sunburn on the way."

Erwin nodded, and he picked up the hand-woven floppy hat they'd crafted together from plant fibers to protect his head. He put it on experimentally, and he caught Levi grinning for a brief second at him. "How do I look?" Erwin grinned as well, guessing well enough by the reserved humor in his companion's eyes.

"Like a big scruffy dork wearing some old guy's gardening hat," answered Levi candidly. "But it'll keep your scalp protected, and we're not out here for a fashion show."

"It will do," agreed the blond. He got up, and he walked over to his buoyant trunk to make sure he'd packed everything of necessity into it. He'd left out some weighty items that he would only make it heavier for Levi to pull, and none of the cooking utensils he and Levi had fashioned would be needed any longer when they reached Levi's shack.

"Okay, it's all ready to go," announced Erwin after closing and sealing the trunk. He checked the knife attached to his belt, just in case they ran into any aggressive marine life on the way. "Are you set?"

Levi checked himself. He was dressed only in his borrowed shirt, which he intended to remove once they got the trunk into the water. The drag of clothing would only slow him down. He'd made Erwin keep his shirt on though, in an effort to protect his back and shoulders from sunburn.

"Yeah. Let's carry the trunk to the water and get it in there."

Together, they transported the object to the shoreline. They dropped it at the edge of the water, and Erwin dragged it into the surf while Levi undressed. Once the trunk was floating, Erwin waded back onto the sand with the other end of the rope they'd secured around the trunk. He tried not to ogle his lover's body as Levi lifted his arms to let Erwin secure the rope to his waist. They'd used Erwin's spare belt as a sort of harness for this part, padding the inside of it and tying the rope to it.

"Tight enough?" asked the blond after buckling it.

Levi nodded. "Yeah, it'll do. Make sure you hang tight to the handholds on that trunk, and keep your head above water. You can kick to help us along if you want, like we discussed. Just don't wear yourself out so much that you drain yourself and lose hold of the trunk."

"I'll keep that in mind. After you." Erwin tied Levi's shirt around his waist, and he gestured at the water. He watched Levi from behind as the smaller man entered the sea, admiring the white gleam of his cute little ass. Levi submerged quickly, his head and shoulders bobbing in the waves as he waited for Erwin to join him.

Hoping this would go as planned with little to no complications, Erwin got in and swam over to the trunk. He grabbed the looped rope handholds they'd knotted onto the top of it, securing his grip before nodding at his companion.

"Hang tight," reminded Levi. "Holler out to me if you start getting too much splash in your face. I don't want you swallowing a shit-load of sea water by accident."

Erwin smiled at his concern. "All right—shit!"

Levi took off before he could finish his sentence, and Erwin was yanked into motion behind him. His hat started to slip, but he'd secured it to his head with a cord tied up under his chin. The brim flopped back and flapped in the breeze as he bobbed and splashed through the water behind the swift-swimming merman. He estimated that Levi was cutting through the waves at a speed comparable to a dolphin. He would have certainly passed up a windsurfer in a race, even with the combined drag of the trunk and Erwin's weight slowing him down.

Erwin got a mouth full of water, and Levi slowed when he coughed. Once the blond recovered, the merman picked up speed again. A couple of hours, Levi had said. Maybe longer, because Erwin suspected his companion would need to take a couple of rest breaks on the way. If it all went well, they should make it to Levi's place by noon.

* * *

As predicted, Levi had to stop and join Erwin at the trunk a few times during their journey. He nibbled on a piece of the dried fish to replenish his energy, and after that he kept going until they approached an island with a shaded lagoon a little ways in from the shoreline. The small shack was situated on the other side of the lagoon, near the middle of the island. It was made of stone and wood, with a half-gable roof and brown tile shingles. Erwin found the place to be charmingly rustic, and once Levi dried off enough to put his shirt back on and help get the trunk inside, he gave him the brief tour of the place.

"It's not much," admitted Levi after lighting a kerosene lamp on the wall for more light. "The bathroom is the only other room, but it's good enough for my purposes. There's the kitchen area. Not much counter space, but it isn't like we'll be cooking any big feasts."

Erwin finished changing clothes and drying off with the towel Levi had offered to him, and he looked around with interest. The kitchen area had terra cotta tiles on the floor, and it featured an old, small refrigerator, some overhead cabinets and shelves, a gas range stovetop and some hanging utensils. The shelves were stocked with some plates, bowls, cups, glasses and mason jars. The tall shelf unit against the back wall had a curtain drawn over it, and Levi pulled the material aside to show Erwin its contents.

"This is the pantry," explained Levi. "Lots of canned goods, preserves and some basic cooking ingredients. Help yourself if you want anything. The can opener's in the drawer on that cabinet over there under the countertop. There's silverware in there, too."

"Thank you." Erwin was rather impressed by the selection and how neatly Levi had managed to organize it all to fit with limited space. It looked like there was enough food to last for a couple of months. Some of it was obviously homemade pickled goods like the jars of eggs. There were some wrapped cheeses of various kinds as well, probably sealed with wax for shelf life. Erwin noticed the label on one of the jars, and he picked it up curiously.

"Seagull eggs?"

Levi nodded. "Yeah. Sometimes I collect them from the nesting grounds if I think I might run out of the chicken eggs I pickled and brought with me. I don't taste much of a difference between them myself, but some people claim they have a richer taste. They aren't easy to find, so I save them for last and bring home as many as I can with me."

"Hmm. I've never tried them before," confessed Erwin. He smirked at Levi. "You're quite the pickler, aren't you?"

Levi shrugged. "Stuff keeps longer, and it saves me having to use up gas keeping the generator fired up for the fridge. I don't have any perishables in there, by the way. Just some bottled and canned drinks. If you want a cold one, I can turn the generator on and we can stick a couple of beers in the freezer to get them cooled faster."

Considering the heat he felt in his face, Erwin declined. "I think I'll save that for later, thanks. I'm sure I've got some sunburn on my face, and I may be a little dehydrated."

"Yeah, your face is kind of red," observed Levi.

Erwin reached out to touch the tip of Levi's nose. "You seem to have a little on your nose and forehead, too."

"I've got aloe growing in the back. We can cut some stems off and rub it on."

"Good idea," approved Erwin. He studied the rest of the interior. There was a folding futon in the living area, situated against the wall by the door they'd walked through. It was currently lying flat with pillows and bedding on it, neatly made. He guessed that was where Levi slept when he stayed here. It was big enough to fit the two of them, though it would be a little tight. There was a television in front of it and a small bookshelf to the left of it. The television had a built in DVD player and was docked on a small entertainment cabinet. Levi had tucked the power chord to it under the oval rug it sat on, and Erwin could see the chord emerge from the rug under the futon.

"There's plenty of bottled water in that storage compartment on the other side of the fridge," Levi pointed out. "The shower, sinks and toilet use the rainwater tank outside. Here, take a look."

Erwin followed Levi to the bathroom door, and he peered in over his shoulder to examine the shadowed compartment. It wasn't much bigger than a bathroom on an RV, Erwin noted. Perhaps a little roomier.

"If you want hot water, you've got to shower during the day," Levi went on. "There's a solar heater reservoir in the tank. It holds enough for a ten minute shower, tops. When it runs out, you're stuck with the regular water reserves. It's usually lukewarm anyway during the daytime, but sometimes it's nice to have a hot shower."

"I see. You've created quite the economically efficient little vacation home, Levi. I'm impressed."

Levi shrugged. "It's got drawbacks. Sometimes there isn't enough rain to keep the tank filled, and when that happens I've got to collect water from the lagoon to flush the shitter. Oh yeah, the cleaning products are on the porch outside. I'd appreciate it if you'd use them after each shower and dump you take."

"Uh, of course," promised Erwin.

"Spare towels, washcloths, toilet paper and toiletries are in that cabinet up there over the toilet." Levi pointed up. "There's basic first aid, toothpaste and mouthwash in the medicine cabinet. Oh yeah, and if the generator's not on and you just need some light to use the bathroom, there's this."

He pushed a round button light affixed to the wall, and the bathroom lit up with a soft glow. "It's one of those battery powered 'stick it anywhere' lights. Extra batteries are in the box under the sink in the kitchen area."

"Convenient," complimented Erwin. He looked at his companion, and he bent over to nuzzle the side of his neck. Levi's hair was still damp with saltwater, as was Erwin's own. "You're very clever."

"Just practical." Levi shrugged modestly. "Come out the back with me now. There's something important I want to show you."

Erwin followed him back outside, and they walked around the wrap-around porch to the back of the shack. Levi showed Erwin to a door in the ground near the base of the steps leading off the back of the porch.

"That's the storage cellar," he informed. "There's extra supplies down there, and a cot for sleeping."

Erwin frowned. "Does that mean you want me to sleep in the cellar?"

"No, that's where you go if a bad storm system blows through. If the winds are high, you go down there. If there's storm surges, staying in the shack is safer. So far I haven't had it flood out on me, but you never know. There's also extra gallons of drinking water down there, if we start getting low."

"I see," remarked Erwin. "What about extra fuel for your generator? Where do you keep that?"

"See that little shed behind the bamboo?" Levi pointed. "It's in there. That's the generator over there on the west side of the shack, by the way. It's covered by that lean-to, and I keep the area clear of any vegetation that could catch fire. There's also a little coal-burning grill over there too, if you ever want to use it to cook a fresh catch. The fire pit is over there a few feet away, and the wood for it is stacked up under that tarp by the cellar entrance."

Erwin nodded, further impressed. He noticed some netting and fishing equipment under the porch against the back wall of the shack. Rods, reels, fishing line arranged on a utility shelf along with what appeared to be a tool box and a flash light...Levi appeared to have everything he needed to camp out here for a good while.

They walked back around to the front of the house. Erwin leaned against the porch railing, looking around at the tropical environment. He glanced at Levi, who had changed into a set of his own clothing which he'd pulled out of a closet while Erwin changed clothes. He was wearing pair of faded blue jeans and a green muscle shirt. It made Erwin think of another question on his mind.

"Say Levi, what happens if you get wet with salt water while fully dressed? Wouldn't pants or underwear interfere with your transformation into your other form?"

"No, it would all just split and get ruined." Levi smirked. "I found that out early in life. My mom was pissed at me for destroying a brand new pair of shorts she'd bought me for school."

"Oh." Erwin straightened up again. Levi was more open about discussing his anatomy now than he'd been before they'd had sex with each other, so the blond chanced a more personal question. "What about when your...er...reproductive organs? Do they just go away while you have your tail? Not that I've been leering at you trying to peek—"

"Yes you have, you pervert." There was a teasing light in Levi's gaze, though. "To answer your question, I still have my junk when I'm in my other form. It's just hidden."

"Hidden?" Erwin glanced down, unsure. "As in retracted inside of you, the way a dog's would until aroused?"

"Uh, I guess it's something like that." Levi flushed a little. "It wouldn't be convenient for us to have the frank and beans just hanging out when we're transformed. You'd have fish trying to nibble at it, added drag—and don't you laugh at that—and it could lead to infection if any micro-organisms got inside from the water. There's sort of a slit there, like a pocket. If I get a boner it'll come out of it, or I can reach in and ease it out if I want to piss or play around in that form. I suppose it's kind of like the pee flap on underwear, if I really think about it."

Erwin nodded in understanding, now finding himself deviously curious over what it would be like to fool around with Levi while he had his tail. "What about body cavities?"

"What, you mean my asshole?"

Erwin blushed over the crude words usage, and he nodded. "Yeah. I assume you still produce digestive waste just like urine while in the other form. Can you...relieve that, or does it close up and you have to get out of the water and dry off before you can take care of business?"

"Heh. I didn't expect _this_ to be one of the things you asked about." Levi turned around and leaned back against the porch railing. "We've still got everything in mer form, Erwin. It's more or less in the same spot as human form, it's just not as obvious to spot. Most of us prefer not to shit in the ocean if we can help it, but sometimes when you've gotta go, you've gotta go."

Erwin chuckled uncomfortably, embarrassed for bringing that subject up. "In all walks of life, it seems." His mind started turning the information over, and he realized that it was actually possible for merfolk to have sex while they were transformed. Assuming the female anatomy was similar to the male, they might even conceive their offspring in the water.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Levi questioned suspiciously, eyeing him. "If you think we just let it trail after us like fish, think again. That would be disgusting. Although I guess some merfolk might do it if they're in a hurry to swim somewhere. I never would, though."

"What an image." Erwin smirked and shook his head. "No, I wasn't thinking of the mechanics of that. I was thinking of something else." He didn't want to say it, afraid of offending his companion.

Levi stepped away from the railing, coming closer to Erwin and tilting his head to the side as he looked up at him. "You can ask me, whatever it is. I won't get mad."

"I don't know about that," confessed Erwin uncertainly. "You might accuse me of being a pervert again."

Levi's mouth twitched. "Let me guess: you're wondering how my kind get it on in the water, right?"

The blond averted his gaze, but he gave a single nod of acknowledgement.

"Aren't you kinky?" teased Levi. He sobered, and he moved in front of Erwin to lean back against the railing again. "Yeah, we can do it in the water. I think nature even intended it that way, because everything's self-lubricating internally while we're in that form...not just the women's stuff."

"Oh?" Erwin raised an interested brow. "So males can have anal without needing lube?"

Levi nodded, flushing again. "Yeah. There might be some people out there that still insist it's not right, but nature obviously designed us so that two guys could fuck, or a hetero mer couple could do anal in the water if they wanted to. Screw human social politics; it's proof nature didn't intend for everyone to pair up with the opposite sex."

Erwin smiled. His face still felt hot, but Levi seemed surprisingly calm about his hinted questions. He hesitated, wondering if he should press further. Now didn't seem like the time for that, though. They still had to organize a better spot to put his trunk, and that shower of Levi's was looking so damned tempting.

"Would you mind if I got cleaned up? I would also like the chance to wash my clothes with real detergent, if you have any."

"Like I said: make yourself at home." Levi pushed away from the railing and motioned for Erwin to follow him back inside. "I'll help you get set up and show you where the detergent is. I didn't point it out, but there's a washing machine on the back porch, too. There's no dryer, but there's a clothing line you can hang your stuff up with."

"Thank you, Levi." Erwin nearly offered to have Levi join him in the shower, but upon picturing the dimensions of it, he realized that squeezing the both of them in there at once would just prove awkward.

"I can shower later," Levi said when Erwin frowned. "I'll just have a bum bath tonight, and tomorrow I'll shower when the solar tank's heated up again. You haven't had a real shower in what, three weeks now?"

"That sounds about right," sighed, Erwin.

"Well, you get first dibs since you're a guest," offered Levi. "I can wait for mine. Besides, you're smelling kind of ripe."

* * *

After a hot shower, a meal of red beans and rice cooked by Levi and a blessedly lovely cup of tea, Erwin felt almost human again. Levi even lent him a bathrobe and hung Erwin's clothes out to dry for him while the blond man wound down from the day and relaxed on the futon bed. Levi powered up the generator, and he put in a movie for them to watch together.

"Maybe tomorrow we can see if we can get that ham radio in the cellar working," suggested Levi as they relaxed together and watched a zombie horror film. "I've never used it before. It's kind of old. My mom gave it to me when I got this place. She said I should always have some extra form of communication here in case my modern electronics failed on me, but I haven't played with the thing much to figure it out."

Erwin nodded at what he thought was a laptop case sitting near the bookshelf. "What about that? Have you tried to reach anyone with the computer, or is that case empty?"

Levi glanced that way, and he shrugged. "I've got a computer in there and it works, but there's no internet out here. Usually I would use my cellular data hotspot on my phone to do anything web-related on the laptop, but since I killed my phone, that's not an option."

"Ah, I keep taking it for granted that the internet is readily available everywhere," sighed Erwin. "My ship had its own wifi hotspot on it. The things we get used to, eh?"

"Yeah," agreed Levi. "Sometimes I can't decide if technology is a help or hindrance. That's another reason why I like to come out here every year. A little taste of simpler living can be refreshing."

Erwin stared covertly at Levi. Really looking at him. He hadn't noticed the tiny holes in the man's earlobes before. They were pierced, but for some reason Levi wasn't wearing any jewelry in them. Maybe he refrained from that when he came here for the same reasons he wanted to get away from technology and people, or maybe he'd decided to stop wearing earrings and let the holes close up. Levi didn't wear any other accessories on his person, but for some reason, Erwin could picture him wearing a necklace. Erwin himself never wore jewelry but for his Rolex watch—which he'd incidentally lost along with his yacht.

"What do you like to do when you aren't out here vacationing?" Erwin asked. "You said you like volley ball and kava bars, but what else? Any other sports or hobbies? Do you like clubbing?"

"Slow down," advised Levi. "I like swimming, obviously. Also fishing, but you knew that. As for clubbing, I think I've grown out of it. I used to like it, but the scene got old and it started to feel redundant after a while. I like to read." He nodded at the bookshelf. "You can read any books on that shelf that catch your interest, by the way. I also like...designing things."

"Designing things?" Erwin cocked his head. "Like clothing?"

Levi shook his head. "No, buildings. I like to draw plans for ideas I come up with. It's not art, so much as architectural design."

"I would be interested in seeing some of that." Erwin reached out to put an arm around his companion. "Do you have any samples of your work here?"

"No. I've got a drafting table at home, but..." Levi trailed off and bit his lip.

Sensing that he'd just touched on something important, Erwin felt like he needed to give Levi a chance to go on without prompting. There was a feeling of anticipation, like he half-knew what was coming next...but how could that be?

"I always had an interest in the design of buildings," Levi finally said, speaking just loudly enough to be heard over the screams coming from the movie on the television. "I almost went to school for it, but we didn't have the money and I wanted to take care of Mom. To someone like you, that probably seems stupid."

"Not at all," assured Erwin. "Why would you think that?"

Levi met his gaze, and his eyes were hooded. "Because you're a big executive type with a high-powered career. You're life is in order. You set your goals, went for them and now you're a success. You didn't give up on your dream and settle for a blue collar job."

"I wouldn't call myself a success after the events leading to the situation we're in now," Erwin stated dryly. "Levi, I don't think it's stupid at all that you prioritized supporting your mother over your own personal gain. I think it's admirable, and to tell you the truth, this job literally fell into my lap by chance and I worked my way up the chain. I started out as an errand boy, in fact. I just had no distractions like yours to cut into my personal ambition."

"An errand boy? You?" Levi smirked, looking him up and down. "I can't picture it."

"Well, use your imagination. I wasn't always the man I am now. Back to you, though. I've been telling you so much about me and my life since meeting you, but there are still questions I have about you."

"You mean besides the mer-related stuff. You've asked plenty of questions about that."

"Can you blame me?" challenged Erwin. "You are, after all, the first of your kind I've ever met."

"I'll give you that one." Levi's eyes narrowed briefly. Both of them had forgotten all about the movie about flesh-eating zombies, so he used the remote to turn down the volume on the television. He leaned back against the arm that Erwin had put around his shoulders, still holding his eyes. "Speaking of questions, how about the ones you were asking earlier today on the porch?"

Erwin felt suddenly uncomfortable. He'd wanted to save this subject for later, after they'd both rested up properly from their journey and got a bit more organized. He could tell by the way his companion was looking at him that putting it off might not be an option.

Levi pressed closer to him. He slid one palm under the bigger man's jaw, and then he cupped the side of his face. "Ask me, stupid."

"Not if you're going to call me stupid," muttered Erwin, flushing deeper.

"It can't be that bad," reasoned Levi. His pale gaze flicked over the blond shrewdly. "Look at you. It's like you're a teenager trying to figure out how to make a move without getting smacked for it. Go ahead and ask, Erwin."

Erwin got a creeping feeling that Levi already knew what was on his mind. At least the guy was encouraging it, if that was the case. Erwin cleared his throat, reminding himself that he was a grown man and not an adolescent just getting his first pubes. He decided to just rip the figurative bandage off with one fell yank.

"Have you ever made love with an ordinary human while in your mer form?"

Levi stared wordlessly at him, and Erwin fought the impulse to squirm.

"Well? Have you?" he prompted.

Levi shook his head. "No. Not yet."

Praying that he wasn't coming off as some sick creep, Erwin chose his words with care. "Not even with the ex that you said became too controlling after finding out what you were?"

Again, Levi shook his head.

Erwin frowned, trying to think of the best way to express his curiosity without offending Levi. He stared at the smaller man, his eyes drawn to the shine in that dark, dark hair where the lamp light shone on it. Erwin reached out with care, strangely awed by the glossy quality of the strands. It was as soft to the touch as it looked. Levi didn't recoil from the caress. He even seemed to enjoy it, judging by the way his eyelids drooped slightly in response to Erwin's touch.

"He accepted your nature, still wanted you once he found out. Are you telling me that he never expressed an interest in fooling around with you while you were...you know."

Levi sighed, lowering his gaze. "He might have eventually, if I'd stayed with him. He wasn't in a rush to go there, though. I don't even blame him for that; it's probably too weird for most land walkers to adjust to. It makes sense that they'd prefer us in our human form when it comes to sex."

"I see." Erwin mulled it over in his head. "If you were with someone that was interested in trying it, would you be willing?"

Levi's gaze seemed to go flat for a second, and then his pupils expanded. His expression softened to something like wonderment, and yet it was still guarded. "Are you asking me to have sex with you in sea water, Smith? Are you really interested in fucking me when I'm half-fish?"

"Levi, I'm interested in fucking you no matter which form you're in," confessed Erwin. Sometimes you had to just throw all your chips on the table. "What I'm asking is if _you_ are willing to try it sometime. I can't promise you that I'll have a knowing touch. It's new territory. I'm sure there's a learning curve, and I would have to approach it rather like a virgin getting laid for the first time, but yes; I'm interested."

Levi was quiet; not just audibly, but in body. He was so still that Erwin could have mistaken him for a statue, if not for the slow rise and fall of his chest. As he watched, the motion of Levi's breathing appeared to increase slightly. A soft bloom of pink spread over Levi's cheeks, and with a quick glance down, Erwin realized that the increased blood flow wasn't localized to the other male's face.

"Are you serious?" Levi questioned at last. The touch of uncertainty in his low voice moved Erwin...made him want to hug him. Levi didn't like to express any vulnerability. He'd made that clear from the beginning, and yet he demonstrated enough trust in Erwin to let him see that elusive side of himself.

"Yes," answered Erwin. "I'm very serious, Levi. I wanted to wait for us to settle in here more before bringing it up, but if I've only got a week or so more to be with you, I want to expand my horizons as much as possible. I'd like to make some memories I'll never forget."

"Heh, okay." The shadow of Levi's lashes masked his gaze as he lowered it. "You've got more gumption than some people, I'll give you that. You're absolutely sure about this?"

Erwin brushed his fingertips over the smaller man's jaw line. "Thank you for being so understanding, Levi. I was worried you would take it completely the wrong way. Yes, I'm sure that I'm interested in exploring this option at some point. I wouldn't have asked if it were otherwise."

Levi met his gaze. "Then we'll play it by ear. Is that good enough for you?"

Erwin nodded. "Yes. It's all I can really ask for." He leaned in to kiss Levi softly. He could only imagine what it must be like for people like Levi to open themselves up to the risks of being with ordinary humans. He silently vowed not to lose his nerve when and if the time came for them to try this little experiment. If he could show Levi that their differences didn't have to make a relationship awkward, maybe it would instill some doubts in the man's mind about parting ways with him.

* * *

Erwin woke up late the next morning. The space beside him where Levi had been sleeping was vacant, and he yawned and sat up, scratching his side. Levi wasn't around, which probably meant he'd already had his breakfast, showered and went outside to do something. Erwin pulled the sheets down to get out of bed, and he found a note lying on top of them. Frowning, he picked it up and read it. Levi's handwriting was very small, like himself. Erwin had to squint a little to make it out.

_"Come to the lagoon after you finish breakfast. If you aren't up by noon, I'll throw a bucket of water on you."_

Erwin smiled, and he got up to change into his recently washed and dried clothing. He inspected the pantry for something to eat, and he spotted a basket on the counter with a couple of fresh mangos and a bunch of bananas in it. Recalling that Levi said he had some fruit trees around his property, Erwin surmised that he must have picked them while he was still asleep.

He went for the mango after briefly debating his choices, and though cutting and peeling it was a sticky mess, it was so delicious that he had to fight off the impulse to eat the second one as well. He left the shack and walked through the vegetation to reach the shaded lagoon. When he pushed aside a few fronds and made it to the water, he realized it wasn't as large as he'd first thought. He started to try and guess the width and depth of it, but then he became distracted by the sight of a familiar, dark head surfacing in the center of the lagoon, followed by creamy pale shoulders.

"Good morning," Erwin greeted automatically, just now seeing the pile of discarded clothing lying on the west bank of the lagoon. His heart skipped a beat as he considered the implications of all this. "Enjoying your swim?"

Levi slicked his hair back from his face, and the sunlight glinting through the thick foliage played over his fine-boned features, making the water droplets clinging to his face glisten like jewels. "The water's fine. Why don't you join me in here? It isn't very deep except toward the north side where it feeds from the ocean."

Erwin glanced around, then looked into the clear water. It was hard to judge how deep it went from his vantage point. The way the water bent the light made depth perception deceptive. He was a strong swimmer, but he didn't want to make a fool of himself and get in thinking his feet could touch, only to go all the way under and come up sputtering.

"Having second thoughts?"

Erwin jerked his attention away from the water, looking at his companion again. Levi's face was expressionless, but he could tell by the look in his eyes that Levi was challenging him. He didn't really believe Erwin meant what he said about interacting with him sexually while he was in this form. Erwin could see the merman's tail lazily stirring the water below the surface, easily keeping him afloat. If he backed out of this now, Levi would consider it to be confirmation that human men couldn't handle being in a relationship with him.

"All right," Erwin finally said, bending over to untie his shoes. "I'm coming in."

Levi submerged further into the water, dropping down until his head was only above water from the chin up. He watched the blond with enigmatic appraisal, saying nothing more while Erwin stripped. There was a glint of lust in Levi's gaze once Erwin was naked and standing over his pile of clothes. The lazy silvery gaze caressed the bigger man's form, watching as Erwin put one cautious foot into the water, followed by the other.

The gritty sand bank sloped off gradually, not dropping off suddenly as Erwin feared it might. There were some seashells in the mix, and Erwin winced a little as he stepped on one that threatened to cut the sole of his foot. He kept going until he was up to his waist, and then he pushed off and swam toward Levi. When he met up with the merman, Erwin tried putting his feet down. Levi hadn't fibbed; it was shallow enough that Erwin could stand up and keep his head above water. In fact, it didn't go any deeper than his mid-torso.

"This is nice," announced Erwin. "The water is nearly body temperature. It feels almost like I'm not submerged in water at all."

Levi nodded. "The lagoon doesn't take long to heat up because it's so small and shallow. I like to relax in it so I don't have to drink as much water and I don't have to fight ocean currents or waves. It's why my family bought this island a couple generations ago."

"So you inherited it," reasoned the blond. That made sense. He'd been wondering how a man on Levi's salary could afford to purchase his own island, small though it was.

"My family wasn't all dirt poor." Levi didn't move from his spot. He was still watching Erwin with that half-curious, half wary look in his eyes. "Since its off the grid and too small for anyone to consider using it as resort land, we haven't been troubled for it. I just pay a small mortgage on it once a year. Hell, it's even cheaper than what I pay in rent every year for my apartment in Key West."

Erwin thought that was probably because Levi's little beach house was little more than a shed, by most people's standards. Without the need to tap into the government power grid or draw from community water supplies, there was no need to invest in anything more than land taxes for this place.

"Come here," Levi said to him, his tail stirring up sand beneath him as he emerged a little more.

Erwin didn't allow himself to hesitate. These were high stakes, and his business sense took over without him even consciously wanting it to. Close the deal. Be confident. Give them what they want, and make sure you get what you want as well.

He grimaced inwardly, hating himself for thinking of this as if he were trying to land a new client. Still, there was some wisdom in that approach. Erwin knew that this was a substantial opportunity to secure Levi's faith and trust in him. Perhaps it wasn't so foolish to rely on some business tactics, because in truth, he was trying to lock in an arrangement. Just because it was personal didn't mean he couldn't employ some of his persuasive talents.

Erwin closed in on his companion, holding his gaze. He focused on that face, so fair and riveting. He focused on those eyes, so mysterious and yet so inviting. He didn't let his gaze drift lower, purposely focusing his attention on the man rather than the submerged, alien lower half of his body. He reached out for the merman, putting his arms around him and pulling him close. He felt Levi's tail fin brush against the top of his feet, a tickling caress.

"I only have one question for you," whispered the blond.

Levi swallowed, putting his arm around the bigger male's neck. "Go ahead."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Levi blinked slowly, his sooty lashes glistening from tiny water droplets clinging to them. "Are you?"

"I'm holding you, aren't I?" Erwin smiled, still staring into his eyes and refusing to break the contact. "Now answer my question. I need to know that _you're_ ready for this. Your consent is very important to me, Levi. I think I've already demonstrated as much."

The ivory tone of Levi's face started turning pink in a charming way, blooming over his cheekbones and across his nose.

"Yes, you have," the smaller man conceded softly. He was the one to break the eye contact, lowering his gaze in a thoughtful, almost demure way. One of his hands slipped around from the nape of Erwin's neck to his shoulder, then down his bare chest to rest damply over his heart. He left it there for a moment as if measuring the beat of Erwin's pulse.

"You've been very considerate. Never pushy...at least until you pick up on my signals and we start screwing around. You're really good at reading people, Smith."

Erwin cupped Levi's chin, tilting the other man's head back to urge him to look at him again. He really loved that chin, and the slightly narrow jaw it tapered to. He adored everything about Levi's face. The man was faintly elfin in appearance, to Erwin's eyes. "It's a skill I've improved over time, but I can't see directly into people's hearts or minds. I need you to meet me halfway. Honestly, if we had met under different circumstances, I'd have been doing my damndest to seduce you."

Levi smirked ever so slightly. "Is that so?"

"It is," insisted Erwin candidly. He chose not to inform Levi that he was known as the office charmer, and not so long ago he had a reputation for wracking up the conquests and making his coworkers envious of his ability to rope in just about anyone he wanted, when he felt like taking home a companion for the night.

"Then why haven't you employed that skill set with me?" demanded Levi. "Or is being a big geek with a weird sense of humor part of your whole seduction plan? I guess that could work on some people. Makes you seem somehow safe."

Erwin chuckled, shaking his head. He caressed his way down from Levi's jaw to his shoulder, then over his bicep. "No, that's really just me in the raw. You haven't seen the way I usually am in front of people. I've had no need to put on a mask with you. Do you really think I'm a geek?"

Levi shrugged. "A sexy one, but a geek, yeah. Don't take it personally."

That made Erwin's amusement swell further, and he laughed. "I can't recall the last time anyone called me that. You see? I'm a completely different man around you. I'm...well, I'm me."

"I'm not sure I want to know this other man you're alluding to."

"You probably wouldn't like him." Erwin slid his other hand further down Levi's back, feeling the tactile, unusual sensation of the smooth scales against his palm where the merman's tale met the base of his spine. The curve of Levi's ass was still there, and Erwin stroked his palm over it. "I do think that other man has some redeeming qualities, though. Confidence is one of them."

Levi gasped softly, and Erwin knew he'd found that little pucker that was so well-hidden by his aquatic flesh. He circled the subtle ridge he'd discovered, swirling his fingertip around it. Levi shuddered, and the flush in his cheeks darkened.

"You seem even more sensitive in this form," droned the blond. He gently pressed the tip of his index finger into the spot, and he found it warm, moist and tight. He fought back a groan. Levi hadn't fibbed to him; no lube was required. He detected a swell in the scales pressed up against his thigh, followed by the unmistakable, silken feel of Levi's cock.

"Are you getting hard?" whispered Erwin, bending down to say it into the curve of Levi's right ear. It was very similar to the experience of someone's arousal peeking out of their boxers to rub against him.

"W-what do you think?" gasped Levi. His tail swished, and he gyrated slowly against Erwin's body.

The press of Levi's hardening length became more pronounced, elongating and emerging from the genital slit he'd described to Erwin. Fascinated, Erwin dipped one hand beneath the water, while still teasingly fingering that little hole he'd discovered. He found and gripped Levi's arousal. He gave it a squeeze, while at the same time easing the finger penetrating the smaller man's entrance just a tiny bit deeper.

"Oh...fuck..." Levi's voice came out almost as a whine, and he dropped his forehead against Erwin's chest, clenching around his finger impulsively. He throbbed in the blond's grip, and his body started heating up. "Erwin..."

"You're so tight," observed Erwin huskily. He would have expected Levi to be at least a little looser now than he'd been the first time they did it.

"My body...bounces back fast," gasped Levi, "even when I get skewered by a dick as big as yours."

The blond smirked at the reference to his endowments, and he spoke into Levi's ear again, using his most seductive tone of voice. "You're about to get skewered again."

He accentuated his point by pressing his finger a little further inside of Levi. He was gratified by a responsive shudder from the merman. Levi bobbed in the water, his tail flicking with sexual agitation as Erwin started to slowly thrust inside of him and began to stroke him with his other hand. He dragged his mouth away from the smaller man's ear to kiss him on the lips. Erwin drew back when Levi opened his mouth and attempted to exchange some tongue with him.

"Oi, don't be a tease," breathed Levi, his lips less than an inch from Erwin's. He rocked into the bigger man's touch, reaching one dripping hand up to curve his palm over the back of his head. He drew Erwin's mouth down to his again, and his pink tongue emerged to trace them languidly.

Erwin grunted with the force of his excitement. His length throbbed and twitched against Levi's belly, aching for attention.

"Hmm, someone's an eager boy," purred Levi. His other hand snaked down into the water, returning the favor of Erwin's caress. "God, you're so big. Why is it that I keep forgetting how damned impressive your piece is until I see it again?"

Erwin rocked into the smaller male's gripping hand, and his lids grew heavy with lust. "I imagine for the same reason I keep forgetting how beautiful your body is until I see it naked again."

"You think it's beautiful even in this form?" tested Levi shrewdly.

"I do," confirmed Erwin without hesitation. He lowered his mouth to Levi's to kiss him lingeringly. "You're stunning to me in every form. Never doubt that. I will say, however, that it's a bit cruel of you to loiter around naked in front of me every time you dry off from being in the ocean."

Levi smirked at him, and his breath caught a little with the next pump of Erwin's probing finger. "How is it cruel? I'd think you'd appreciate it, if you like the sight of my body so much."

"Oh, I do," agreed Erwin, "but it's also frustrating. Do you know how hard it is for me to keep my hands to myself when I see so much of you? So many times, I came close to dragging you off to our shelter to have my way with you."

"Why didn't you?" There was a coy glint in Levi's hooded gaze.

"Because you gave me no indication that you were in the mood for sex." Erwin shrugged. "If you don't give me any signals, I'm not going to risk pissing you off by groping you out of turn."

"Tch. Quit trying to be such a gentleman all the time," advised Levi. "Damn, and here I've been under the impression that _you_ were losing interest, up until our little talk last night."

"Impossible," assured Erwin sincerely. "What a fool I've been. So many missed opportunities."

"Well, it's not really your fault. I know I sent you some mixed signals, so I can't blame you."

Erwin resumed pumping his finger inside of the smaller man, and he smiled as Levi's eyes rolled and his head fell back. The merman squeezed Erwin's cock with just a little more pressure than was comfortable, and he eased his hold on him when the blond grunted. Levi's body tensed as Erwin stroked the gland inside of him, and he trembled.

"I'll never hesitate again," vowed Erwin. His pulse was thrumming rapidly, and his body was heating up with need. Levi's hand moved faster beneath the water, and Erwin groaned. Too much more of that and he'd lose his composure. He didn't want to enter such a new and alien encounter recklessly; he wanted to ensure it was good for his companion.

"Ease up," gasped Erwin, pausing his own fondling to ward Levi's hand off. "My self-control has limits."

"Hmm, getting too worked up?" Levi's mouth curved into a ghost of a grin, and he leaned in to kiss and suck at Erwin's collarbone. He made a husky noise of delight and shivered when the bigger man stroked his prostate again. "Hah...I'm not gonna last long either, if you keep doing that."

"Is that so?" Erwin released Levi's wrist, and he gripped his length again. "Don't fight it, Levi. I want you to come as many times as possible."

To demonstrate his resolve, Erwin bent his legs until he was eye-level with Levi's chest. He closed in on the right nipple, swirling his tongue around it until it was hard and pebbled. Levi gasped, and the blond redirected his attention to the left nipple to get it in a similar state. Once they were both standing at attention, he began to kiss and suck them one after the other, making his companion's back arch and drawing soft cries from him.

Levi's insides were very wet and slippery now, and Erwin inserted another finger into him without pausing his other attentions. He teased the smaller man's erogenous zones relentlessly, pleasuring every sensitive area so that Levi was overcome by the sensations.

"B-blondie," panted the merman, churning the water with his tail. "Coming...nnhhh, I'm coming!"

Levi's cock pulsed in Erwin's firm grip, and the creamy spurt of his release floated away in the clear water. Erwin released Levi's nipple from his mouth, straightened up and embraced him tightly, kissing his lids when the other male closed his eyes and trembled against him. Erwin held him like that for a while, giving him some time to catch his breath and recover. His fingers were still wedged inside of Levi, and he withdrew them when the rhythmic squeezing around them slowed and stopped.

Erwin didn't waste a moment more, worried that if he started thinking too much about the physiological differences between him and Levi, he might get nervous and make a mistake, or appear uncertain to Levi. He turned Levi around in the water so that the other man's back was to him, and he embraced him from behind. Tracing patterns over Levi's chest and abdomen, Erwin spoke into his ear in a deep, breathy voice.

"I've been wanting you so badly. It's been so hard being near you, smelling you, watching you lying beside me at night. I never knew just how much my self-control could be tested until you came along."

"Well, you passed with flying colors," breathed Levi.

He tilted his head to the side as Erwin's lips brushed against his neck, giving the blond greater access. He shivered when Erwin nibbled his earlobe. Levi's ears _were_ pierced, Erwin realized. He detected the tiny hole in the lobe against his tongue.

"Do you ever wear earrings?" murmured Erwin. He fondled Levi's nipples, making the merman arch his back and groan.

"Yeah. I just forgot to put the studs back in before I left for this vacation. Mmm, feels so good."

Ordinarily, Erwin wasn't a fan of piercings regardless of where they were applied, but he found himself approving of the mental image of Levi with silver, gold or even diamond studs in his earlobes. "What about other jewelry? Do you wear anything?"

"I've got...a couple of chains I wear sometimes," answered Levi. "Also a leather cord with some kind of blue stone hanging from it that my mom gave me. Nothing too fancy."

"I would like to see you with your jewelry on," confessed Erwin. He squeezed the smaller male's nipples gently, before resuming his fondling. "I think you would look sexy in it."

Levi squirmed fitfully. "W-why are we talking about jewelry right now? Do me, Smith. I'm getting impatient."

Erwin stopped teasing one of Levi's nipples to reach between the press of their bodies and grip his throbbing flesh. He said nothing more to his lover, using actions rather than words to show him that he understood his desire. He rubbed the tip of his cock against Levi's backside until he was nudging up against the pucker he'd been fingering earlier. He slid it in shallowly, stopping his caress to embrace Levi around the waist with one arm and lift him a little bit.

They both moaned as Erwin drove himself deep with one smooth, slow thrust. He kissed Levi's damp temple once he was in to the hilt, examining the sensations. It wasn't as strange as he'd feared it would be. It was certainly different from feeling human skin rubbing up against his, but it wasn't repulsive or intimidating. The leathery scales were smooth in texture, almost soft. Erwin began to move, slowly at first, and then with greater confidence as his companion gasped and whimpered with pleasure.

The water resistance hampered Erwin's hip motions a bit, but this wouldn't be his first time to have sex in a liquid environment. He knew how to adjust his movements so that he was using the current to enhance the experience, rather than fighting it.

"Hah...oh, you're good," panted Levi. "You fuck like a natural in the water. Are you sure you're not a hybrid, big guy?"

"As far as I know, there aren't any merfolk in my family tree," gasped Erwin. "But who knows? It's a possibility."

Levi moaned when the blond came in at a different angle and rocked from side to side, pushing firmly against his sweet spot in the process. "Erwin...fuck, Erwin!"

Erwin reached down to locate Levi's groin, and he found it erect again. Wanting more, he carefully felt around the base of it for the slit it had emerged from, and he slipped his fingers in and felt around for Levi's balls.

Levi made a funny sound and sucked in a sharp, shaken breath. "Oh!"

Erwin stopped. "Does it hurt when I do that?"

"N-no. Just wasn't...expecting that. It's sensitive inside."

Curious, Erwin stroked around the smooth, warm walls of the protective pouch. The tissue was elastic, a little springy. It gave as he explored it, stretching to accommodate him. It made sense, given that its purpose was to sheath sex organs that could swell, expand and shrink. Erwin carefully fit more of his fingers in, and he scooped Levi's balls to ease them out. His middle finger pressed against something in the back wall of the pouch, behind the plump sack. It was a firm little lump that reminded him of a prostate gland, and Levi tensed up and cried out as he pressed it.

"Was that a cry of pain?" urged Erwin, again fearful that he was hurting his companion.

"Not by any stretch of the imagination," blurted Levi tensely. "Shit, Erwin. C-can't believe you found that spot. Are you _sure_ I'm the first merman you've fucked?"

"What is it?" asked Erwin huskily. He stroked it again. Yes, it was just like a prostate, and if Levi's reactions were any indication...

"A g-spot?" wondered Erwin aloud, stunned and intrigued at once.

Levi nodded. "Yeah. Oh...unh!"

"You have two g-spots? That's incredible."

"W-well, believe it," groaned Levi. His breath hitched as Erwin started pumping his hips again. "Ah, you...you're gonna make me scream, Erwin."

Erwin rolled his hips faster, putting more force behind it. He gaped Levi's name, gave his balls a gentle squeeze and then delved back into the genital slit to take further advantage of his startling discovery. He massaged the small lump, provoking whimpers and cries from his companion. Erwin's excitement reached heights he hadn't experienced since his teen years. He felt young and virile and passionate with this man, and before he knew it, he was running on sheer sexual instinct. Composure fled entirely, and his rough groans blended in with Levi's breathier exclamations.

"Levi," growled the blond, face flushed and hot with passion. The water churned around them, splashing and rippling with their writhing. He felt Levi clenching around him, heard his raspy cry and he knew he was coming again.

"I love the way you sound when you come," informed Erwin. His mind went blank when Levi's ass clamped down particularly hard around him, and he groaned. "Ah, Levi...fuck!"

There was no way Erwin could possibly stave off his climax. It hit him like a train, and all he could do was hold Levi tightly and ride it out. He wondered if he would end up polluting the whole lagoon with his spunk before it finished, because it was one of the longest orgasms Erwin had ever experienced. When it finally faded and stopped, Erwin's legs were shaking and if he were on land, he doubted they would have supported his weight. His head almost went under water, and he planted his feet on the sandy bottom of the lagoon and straightened back up. His softening length slipped out of Levi's body, and he turned the smaller man around to face him.

"That," Erwin stated between gasps, "was an encounter that I'll remember for the rest of my life. My god, I nearly drowned myself. Feels like all my strength gave out when I came."

Levi put his arms around Erwin's neck, sighing with gratification. He rose up out of the water enough to kiss the blond's dimpled chin before making a sultry comment of his own. "You've got some kind of innate talent for fucking, you know that?"

Despite them having just shared coitus, Erwin blushed at the compliment. He grinned boyishly at his companion, still gasping for breath. "I'm glad to have performed to your satisfaction."

"Mm-hmm, you did." Levi pressed up closer to him, and he laid his cheek against the taller man's chest. "I had some doubts, but you proved me wrong."

Warmed by the admittance and the way Levi trustingly cuddled up to him, Erwin caressed the shorter male's bare back. "You get very affectionate after you come. Is that the norm for you, or am I just lucky?"

Levi stiffened slightly. "Affectionate?"

"Yeah." Erwin nuzzled Levi's dark hair. "I've noticed you're less guarded after sex. You wouldn't snuggle like this under other circumstances."

Levi was silent, and Erwin pulled back to cup his chin and look into his eyes. "Have I upset you with that observation?"

Levi's brows tightened briefly, and then he shook his head in an uncertain manner. "No. I don't know. I guess I wasn't aware of it."

"There's nothing wrong with cuddling, Levi." Erwin smiled at him. "Maybe you could even come to enjoy doing it consciously, over time. I certainly have no objections."

Levi shrugged. "I've never been with someone that's big on cuddling."

Erwin frowned slightly. "Not even after sex?"

Levi seemed to think about it. "Well, yeah. I don't think I'd do it so impulsively if everyone pushed me away after fucking me. It's just not something I've ever put much thought into. Usually they just want to fuck me, and foreplay is the closest thing to cuddling I've ever done with anyone before sex."

"I think that's a shame," said Erwin softly. "It sounds like none of your boyfriends ever really appreciated you."

"Or they just weren't touchy-feely," countered Levi dryly. "I thought that was just standard for guys that like to top. Maybe they'd do it for their girlfriends, but if they're with another guy they tend to skip all that."

"Not me," Erwin informed him.

Levi pulled away, apparently done with the cuddling. "You're pruning up. Let's get out of here and figure out what we're going to have for lunch."

* * *

-To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! I forgot about this one, and it's finished. *facepalm*. I just need to proofread the final chapter before uploading it. I should have it published by tomorrow.

There was no more hesitation on Erwin's part, when it came to initiating sex. His time with Levi was running out, so he practiced every sexual skill available to him. He hardly left his companion alone, and Levi admitted to him one night that he'd never come so hard or so often in his life. That pleased Erwin, and he felt like Levi had opened up more to him. The man was even receptive to cuddling just for the sake of doing it.

Time flew by, and Erwin started feeling increasingly desperate to change Levi's stance on what would happen when their ride out of there came for them. He reluctantly packed what little he had to take with him on the night before the cruise ship was scheduled to come by. He didn't talk to Levi about their immediate future. He'd come to understand something of the way Levi thought, and being pushy with him would only make the man more determined to blow him off once they boarded that ship. Instead of arguing with him, Erwin kept to the game plan and gave him one last night of intense sex.

They waited throughout the next day, expecting the ship to make its way into their coordinates by the afternoon. It never came, though. They watched the horizon for it, even using a pair of binoculars Levi had stored and preparing some flares to signal it. Levi even got up on the roof with a ladder he kept on the porch, diligently keeping on the lookout for their salvation. Erwin prepared dinner for them both while Levi kept watch. The sun was setting, and still there was no sign of a ship. Erwin finished frying up the fish he'd caught for their meal, and he went outside a few feet away from the porch to look up at the rooftop.

"Anything yet?" he called out to his companion.

"Nothing," came the frustrated response. "I can't even call the captain to find out what's holding them up. Did you have any luck with that radio?"

"I'm sorry, no," replied Erwin. "I tried bringing it up out of the basement for the chance of better reception, but there was nothing but static."

"So much for that option," groused Levi.

Erwin felt inappropriate relief. Maybe he would get another day or more with Levi after all. "Well, dinner is ready. Why don't you come in and eat?"

"The cruise liner might come by while we're in there and we could miss it," Levi pointed out.

"But they know where to stop to pick you up," Erwin reasoned. "I'm sure we'll hear the horn. If you're that concerned, we can eat by the firepit out here so that we can keep an eye out for it."

"I guess that would be okay," said Levi.

* * *

It was possibly the best meal Erwin had cooked so far. He'd filleted the fish just right, seasoned them properly and breaded them before pan-frying them. The rice he's used from Levi's food storage turned out nice and fluffy, and the toasted macadamia nuts he'd gathered from one of the food bearing trees on Levi's island were just right. Levi even paid a generous compliment to his cooking—something he wasn't prone to doing.

They finished their meal without any sign of the ocean liner that was supposed to be coming by. Heavy clouds came in from the west, and Erwin watched the approaching storm from the porch with Levi. The wind picked up, and lightning flashed in the distance, followed by rolling booms of thunder. The crash of turbulent waves hitting the shore reached their ears, and Levi spoke in a low voice after some of the thunder faded away.

"Could be the ship's itinerary is just slowed down because of this storm. They might have even gone off course." He turned to look up at the taller man. "You remember what I told you about safety if we get hit bad, right?"

Erwin nodded. "Stay in the house if there's rising water, go to the cellar if there's high winds."

"Yeah."

Erwin smirked sidelong at him. "What if we get hit with both?"

"Then we'll have to crowd into the 'safe spot' by the pantry, pad the area and hope for the best. Matter of fact, we'd better set up some pillows and blankets there just in case."

"Has it ever flooded here before?" asked Erwin.

"Only once, but since this shack was built on the highest part of the island, it didn't get any higher than the porch steps. Hurricanes usually bypass this area too. One year my friends and I came out here for a week, and we caught the edge of one of them. It wasn't too bad, though. You might have noticed I've got no trees close enough to the shack to fall on it. I cut them down on purpose. I used to have two mango trees, but I had to get rid of the other one because it was too close to the building."

Erwin looked around. He hadn't really noticed that there were no tall or bulky trees immediately close to the shack, but it made sense. "Pity to lose a good fruit bearing tree, but that's better than having it collapse onto your vacation house. You've never had any serious storm damage to this place?"

"A little bit." Levi shrugged. "Me and my friends repaired it. This shack might not be much, but it's sturdier than it looks. I keep up with the maintenance, check for termites every time I'm here, treat the place if I see any signs of them."

"Sounds like a lot of work," remarked Erwin.

Levi shrugged. "I let my friends use it too sometimes, so they help with the upkeep and stocking when they come here."

"Farlan and Isabel?" guessed Erwin.

As soon as he said it, he frowned. Levi did too. "I don't think I ever told you their names."

"You must have," reasoned Erwin, trying to think back on when the subject might have come up before. "How else would I know them?"

"You've got a point."

Erwin looked at him, just as confused. "Maybe you talked about them in your sleep?"

"Could be." Levi shrugged. "Obviously I mentioned them at some point. Whatever. Anyway, they borrow the place sometimes and in exchange for using it, they pitch in with maintenance and keeping the fruit and nut trees healthy. Sometimes we vacation here together."

"Sounds like a nice arrangement. These friends of yours...are they merfolk as well?"

"Yeah, they are. I've got one other friend that comes here once in a while too, but not very often. I mentioned her before. The brainy one. Her name's Hange."

Erwin blinked. He was sure he'd misheard Levi. "Hange?"

Levi nodded.

"How strange," mused the blond. "I have a coworker with that same name."

"Yeah?" Levi tilted his head. "That's not a common name, either. Where did you say you work again? You told me you were in advertising on the coast, but you never said where."

Erwin told him, and Levi's eyes widened. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No, I'm not kidding," confirmed Erwin, puzzled by his reaction. "Why?"

"This has got to be the weirdest coincidence ever," muttered Levi, dropping his gaze to his hands where they rested on top of the porch railing. "My friend Hange works there."

Erwin's eyes widened as well. "Zoë? is her last name Zoë?"

Levi nodded. "That's right. Heh. I can't believe it. You work with four-eyes?"

"I'll be goddamned." Erwin chuckled. "Yes, she's a partner in the ad firm. Is _she_ the brainy friend you've mentioned?"

"Yeah. I knew she worked on the mainland in advertising, but I didn't know it was the same place you work." Levi scratched his head, and the distant lightning highlighted his pale features. "Will wonders never cease. Have you known her for long?"

"About two years now," answered the blond. "I never would have guessed she was the same person you were talking about. I thought the friend you mentioned might be in the medical or science field, the way you described her."

"Hange and I have one thing in common," explained Levi, "and that's our interest in things we aren't doing for a living. She's never talked about her science shit with you?"

"Yes, she has," admitted Erwin, "but I wouldn't have guessed she was the same person you mentioned, before now. So Hange is a mermaid. What a revelation."

"Just don't go telling her you know," advised Levi. "I wouldn't have revealed that to you if I weren't so surprised you knew her. Shit, I just breached our trust..."

"Levi, I'm not going to say anything to Hange about this," promised Erwin. He reached out to rub the smaller man's shoulder. "If Hange wants me to know, I'm sure she'll share it with me on her own time. I would never corner her that way, and you didn't betray her confidence. Not on purpose, at least. It's all right."

Levi stared at him, and it seemed to Erwin that he was at war with himself. Levi wanted to trust him. He'd already said as much. Wanting and doing weren't the same thing, though. Erwin knew by now that Levi had some traumatizing experiences in his past, and he surely had good reasons for being so guarded. He could only hope that one day, he would get the opportunity to learn everything about him and share everything about himself, as well.

Maybe this incoming storm was actually a blessing, because it gave him more time with this enigmatic creature.

* * *

That night, they made love again and Erwin held Levi close as they recovered. The shack creaked from the wind buffeting it. Thunder kept rolling, and the rain was coming down so hard that it was practically a roar.

"Do you think we should relocate to the safe spot?" Erwin murmured against Levi's hair.

"Hmm, might be a good idea. It'll be cramped, though."

"All the more excuse for me to cuddle you," said Erwin with a grin.

"Tch. You're such a girl."

Erwin laughed, and then he parted from Levi to sit up. "For all your protests, you enjoy the cuddling as much as I do. Admit it."

"No comment."

Levi sat up as well, and he bunched up the sheet covering them to carry it with them to the little corner spot they'd set up for safety. Erwin followed him, and they huddled up together within the cushioning of the pillows laid down. It was indeed a tight fit, but Erwin had no complaints about that. He wasn't even upset that their rescue hadn't come as expected, but the company he was keeping had everything to do with that.

"What instructions did you give to the captain of the cruise ship concerning picking you back up?" he asked curiously.

"They're supposed to stop at the coordinates and send a ship's tender to shore to pick me up. I gave a description of the island and the shack too, so they might just send a crewman straight to the door. Otherwise I'd be trying to think of a way to spend the night on the roof to keep watching for them."

"I doubt you or I could see anything through this downpour," said Erwin with a frown. "For that matter, they probably wouldn't send a smaller boat in this weather at this hour. It would be too dangerous and damned near impossible for them to spot the shoreline."

"That's a valid point," sighed Levi. "At least someone knows where I am, so we can count on eventual rescue. We'll just have to make due with what we've got until it comes."

"Agreed." Silently, a part of Erwin hoped their rescue would take a good while longer. He never would have dreamed he would look forward to staying stranded in the middle of the ocean, but given that he stood to lose Levi once they got back to land again, living out "Gilligan's Island" didn't seem like such a bad thing.

* * *

Two more days passed without any sign of a ship. The tropical storm system lingered, forcing the pair to stay indoors except to refuel the generator. They ate from the food storage rather than brave the weather to try and catch or gather anything fresh. When the rain finally ebbed away on the third morning, Erwin awoke to see his companion gearing himself up.

"What are you doing?" asked the blond, yawning behind his hand. Levi had a pair of cut-off shorts on, and nothing else. He was packing one of his watertight satchels with supplies, and he glanced up from the table where he'd set the bag to briefly meet Erwin's gaze.

"I'm getting ready to head out to sea," he answered. "I'm going to see if I can find us some fresh gull eggs and maybe some abalone."

Erwin noted the flare gun the smaller man was slipping into the satchel, and he nodded at it. "What's that for? Scattering the gulls?"

"No. That's in case I spot a ship while I'm out there." Levi packed the item, checked the watertight case containing the flares, and put it in with it. He shouldered the satchel and he met the blond's eyes again. "There could be a chance that there was some kind of communication error concerning picking me up. If that's the case, who knows when we might get help? I know the route that cruise ship is supposed to take on its way back to our waters, so I'm going to travel that area and see if I can spot it while I'm scavenging. If I spot it, I'll signal it and lead them back here."

Erwin looked the smaller man up and down, frowning. "Won't they send a life raft or something if they see you out alone in the water?"

"Probably."

"So then won't they see your tail and find out what you are?" reasoned Erwin.

Levi paused. "I've thought of that. Yeah, it's a distinct possibility."

"Levi, that could put you in danger," Erwin pointed out somberly.

"I know, but I'm going to be careful." Levi bit his lip. "I think if I can get aboard without being seen, dry off and put some clothes on, I can go straight to the captain and tell him about you. I'll just have to stowaway."

"That's going to raise a lot of questions, even if you can pull it off." Erwin got up from the futon, unmindful of his nudity as he approached his companion. He placed his hands on Levi's bare shoulders, gazing into his eyes. "How are you going to explain that you just happened to sneak on board while the ship was cruising at top speed?"

"I don't know," admitted Levi. "Look, I know it's half-baked, but the alternative is for us to remain stuck here. We'll run out of food and fuel for the generator eventually, and what clothes you've got are going to get worn to shreds over time."

"But you did say people know where you are," reasoned Erwin. "Won't your friends send someone looking for you when you don't come back when you said you would?"

"I'm sure they will, but that could take another week. My friends know I can take care of myself, so they'll probably assume I just extended my vacation, at first." Levi shouldered the satchel after making sure it was sealed up tight. "They'll probably try to call or message me a few times when they don't hear anything, and when they never get a response, they'll want to investigate. For that matter, I'm sure there are people out looking for you already. You had to have told someone where you'd be, right?"

"That's true," agreed Erwin. "In fact, Hange is one of those people. Wouldn't it be amazing if she sent people looking for both of us, without having any idea that you and I met up here?"

"Heh. Yeah, that would be interesting. Bet she'd flip out to hear about it, too. She'd probably start playing matchmaker and try to get us together, knowing her."

That statement, no matter how innocent Levi intended it to be, came as a sharp and painful reminder to Erwin that Levi had no intention of pursuing further contact with him after they got off this island. Caught off guard by the swift pain in his heart, Erwin failed to retain a neutral expression and Levi noticed the spasm of the expression that crossed his features.

"What's wrong? You look like you've got a cramp, all the sudden."

"It's nothing," lied Erwin. "I'm just a bit stiff." He stepped back, cramming his feelings in a dark corner of his mind. "Be careful, Levi. Watch out for sharks, and try not to be seen in your aquatic form if you do happen to come across any vessels."

"So you're worried about me." Levi smirked. "Hey, that incident with a shark was a one in a hundred chance, okay? Maybe it mistook me for a seal or something. Ocean predators generally leave us alone. I guess humans and merfolk don't taste good to them."

"Even so, I want you to be on guard," insisted Erwin. "If it could happen once, it could happen again."

"I get it. Stop being such a mother hen." Levi walked toward the door. "I've got some clothes sealed in a plastic bag in this sack. That should keep them dry for me to change into, if I end up sneaking onto a ship."

"But you still would have to find somewhere safe on board to hide until you dry off enough to get your legs back," Erwin reminded. "I would rather you signal them from the water and then get out of sight."

"But how the hell will they know where to go if I do that? Sending a flare up from the middle of the ocean won't help us much. I'm only bringing them to get their attention if I find the ship and can't catch up with it."

"I know, but I'm very concerned about what could happen if you're seen as a merman." Erwin sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair. "If only I could think of another plan that doesn't involve you exposing yourself. My mind is blank, though."

"Everything has its risks." Levi nudged Erwin's arm. "Come see me off, all right? I'm not going to put myself in un-necessary danger, so just have some faith in me."

Erwin lowered his gaze and nodded. There was no talking Levi out of this, no matter how much he wished he could. He followed the smaller man out of the shack and down to the seashore. He couldn't help but admire Levi as the merman stripped his shorts off and stood naked, facing the surf. His pale little ass tempted the blond far too much, and Erwin damned near reached out to fondle it before Levi turned around to hand him the shorts he'd been wearing.

"Just put it in that trunk where I keep my clothes," instructed Levi. "I haven't worn them long enough to need washing."

Erwin numbly took the skimpy clothing item, his eyes helplessly roving over his companion's nude body. To his embarrassment, he started getting an erection and there was precious little he could do to stop or hide the condition.

Levi smirked at his crotch, one thin brow raising slightly. "Someone's awake."

Erwin sighed, smirking himself in a rueful manner. "Yes. It has a mind of its own. What do you expect when you strip down in full sunlight before me?"

"Heh. Even in a serious situation, your mind only goes to one thing. Pervert."

Erwin shrugged, not denying it. "At least we know I have a healthy libido. Hurry back so I can give you a full demonstration of that before the clause in our relationship takes effect."

For a second, Levi appeared confused. "The clause? Oh...that. Yeah."

Perhaps it was just Erwin's hopeful imagination, but it seemed to him that Levi wasn't too thrilled by the reminder that he'd put certain conditions on their relationship. He didn't say another word about it, but he stared back at Erwin for several moments. The blond could tell he was trying to work something out in his mind, but Levi wasn't inclined to share his thoughts with him.

"Keep working on trying to get a signal with that radio in the cellar," suggested Levi at last. Maybe bring it outside and mess with the antenna. Could be the basement is blocking the signal."

Erwin blinked. "I...didn't think of that."

"Neither did I, until just now," confessed Levi with a little shrug. "I feel like an idiot for not considering that before, but even so, there's no guarantee that you'll have more luck putting it outside. There's a power outlet on the porch you can use for it. It's worth a shot, but that thing could just be too old to work right."

"I'll give it a try," promised Erwin. Impulsively, he stepped closer to the other male, and he embraced him. "Be careful, love."

For once, Levi didn't admonish him for using the term of affection. Erwin heard him swallow, and then the merman hugged him back. They parted a few moments later, and Levi walked into the surf. He dove into the water seconds later, and Erwin saw his tail emerge briefly and flipped. He swam rapidly away, and Erwin watched until Levi was out of sight. With a sigh, he headed back to the shack to put Levi's shorts away and try his idea about the ham radio.

* * *

Levi didn't return that day. Not even after sunset. Erwin tried not to worry, tried not to picture his companion in the jaws of a shark or an aggressive orca, or entangled in the tentacles of some giant octopus. He tried not to imagine him trapped in some fisher's net, captured by chance and discovered by some deep sea fishing crew. Maybe his journey had taken him further away from the island than expected and he'd stopped somewhere to rest for the night before returning. Levi's energy wasn't limitless after all, despite the fantastic shape he was in.

Erwin kept trying to get a signal on the radio to keep his mind off the danger he feared Levi was in. How many times had Levi swam these waters over the years? He knew his way around. This was his territory. Surely he would be okay.

After several failed attempts to pick something up on the radio, Erwin finally gave up and prepared a cheerless meal for himself. He checked the generator's fuel level before having a shower and putting a movie on to watch. He fell asleep while watching it, and when he woke up again it was morning and the dvd was on its home screen, playing the movie theme over and over again.

Erwin checked the time, got off the futon and turned the television off. He went outside to turn off the generator and refill the tank, mindful not to run it un-necessarily and use up all of his fuel. Levi said the gas reserves should be good for another week or so, but there was no telling how long Erwin was going to be there...especially since Levi hadn't come back yet with any news.

With thoughts of his lover on his mind, Erwin changed into his clothes and he went outside to the shore, hoping to find Levi returning. He spotted a pod of dolphins passing by, but of his lover, there was still no sign. A sick feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. Erwin kept instinctively wanting to try and call Levi, but that was a ridiculous notion because neither of their cell phones worked to begin with, and they'd never exchanged numbers in the first place.

"Damn it," swore the blond. "Where _are_ you?"

Levi couldn't have gone that far. It didn't seem like him to leave Erwin waiting for so long. Levi was a responsible individual, and he'd promised to come back as soon as he could, whether it was with rescue or alone. The vague fears Erwin had been entertaining manifested again full-force, and it no longer seemed unreasonable for him to imagine something bad happening to his companion. There was nothing that he could do about it, though. He was powerless. He had no boat available to go out looking for Levi, and while he was a strong enough swimmer, he didn't know which direction to swim, didn't know where any other land masses were around here beyond the island he'd been on before they came here. Drowning himself trying to find Levi wouldn't benefit anyone.

He tried to be patient, tried to keep himself busy so that he wouldn't agonize over where Levi was or if he was even still alive. Erwin fished, prepared his catch by roasting it over the fire pit rather than using the generator to power up the electric stove. He stared into the flames as he ate, thinking of the last meal he'd shared like this with Levi. He thought of the way the orange flicker illuminated Levi's fair features and how he'd kept staring helplessly at him until the merman remarked that his gaze would burn a hole through him if he kept it up.

"I'm in love with him," whispered the blond to himself, banishing any remaining doubt in his heart. This ache of loneliness in his heart wasn't just from the solitude of his situation. He didn't just miss having another person's company; he specifically missed _Levi's_ presence. It felt like a part of him was missing, and it hurt. He'd been telling himself that his attachment to Levi was probably because he was the only other person around, and once he made it back home, he would get over him with time.

There was no getting over Levi, though. Erwin knew it with certainty now, and his stomach churned warningly at the thought that he might never see the man again. He took some steadying breaths, trying not to throw up the dinner he'd just eaten.

"He's alive," insisted Erwin. "Has to be."

It was getting harder to keep convincing himself of that, though. Every hour that passed without any sign of Levi made it less likely that he was safe. Erwin put out the fire and went inside to try and get some rest, but sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned in the bed, and he spoke without even realizing he was doing it.

"Come back, Levi. Come back to me."

There was a ringing in his ears, and he grimaced as it got louder and more shrill. It set his teeth on edge, and Erwin tried to sit up to try and locate the source of it, thinking it might be coming from the ham radio on the porch. He couldn't move, and a feeling of panic washed over him. He felt a hand on his right forearm, but he couldn't open his eyes. Was this sleep paralysis? Had the fish he'd caught and eaten been some species that was poisonous, like a blowfish? His heart pounded fiercely with anxiety, and he struggled to move. Someone was there with him, touching him. Had Levi come back?

"L-Levi," he groaned, desperate and afraid.

"Wake up," came the response. The voice was unmistakably Levi's, but it was unusually tense and anxious sounding. "Erwin, wake up, you idiot! Come on, big guy. I'm right here."

* * *

"Erwin, come out of it," pleaded Levi, his gaze fixated on his lover's handsome, whiskered face. They'd told him not to shake him, but this was the first response he'd gotten from the man since they pulled him out of the water and brought him to the hospital.

"Oi, listen to me," cried the young man, grabbing Erwin's shoulders and giving him a shake. "I'm right here, Erwin."

When Erwin groaned again but didn't open his eyes or move, Levi fell back on desperation. He did something he'd hardly ever done in his life: he began to plead with him. "Don't leave me. Don't go away."

He bowed his head, and his eyes burned with tears that he couldn't hold back. His voice wavered as he spoke again, and Levi squeezed one of Erwin's limp hands, rubbing it between both of his. "I thought you were a goner when you fell overboard and hit your head. Thought we wouldn't find you until it was too late. Don't make it all for nothing, blondie. Don't put me through waiting for some sign of life from you just to croak on me at the last minute."

His words seemed to reach Erwin, because the big hand Levi was holding twitched. He blinked the tears out of his eyes and stared hopefully at the blond's face. "Erwin?"

The older male's eyes moved behind his lids. It could be a REM cycle as Hange said sometimes happened with coma patients, or it could be something else. Levi bent over the blond, and he lowered his mouth to Erwin's to kiss him. He didn't even mind the tickle of facial hair against his skin. He'd been meaning to bring a razor and shave Erwin's face again, but he forgot about it when he left their apartment this morning.

There was a response from Erwin. He started kissing Levi back, and the younger male dared to hope it wasn't just reflexive. Erwin's free hand came up to cup the back of Levi's head, and then there was no doubt that he was at least partially aware. Levi pulled back after a moment, searching Erwin's face. The blond-lashed eyes fluttered open, and Erwin's pupils were so wide at first that only a thin band of blue shone around them. They immediately shrunk as the light hit them, and Erwin groaned in a pained manner.

Levi hastily reached out to cut off the light immediately over Erwin's hospital bed, dimming the illumination in the room to a softer level. Erwin rubbed his eyes, and then he focused on the small man hovering over him.

"Levi?" he croaked, sounding confused and hopeful all at once. "Are...are you real?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I'm real." Levi's admonishment was laced with relief, and he gave his lover a rare smile. "Fuck, you had me scared. Don't ever do this to me again, Erwin."

"I don't even know what I did," remarked Erwin in confusion. "Where am I? What happened?"

"I'll tell you everything in a minute," promised Levi. "Right now I've got to get the doctor in here to look at you. Sit tight."

* * *

Once Erwin was thoroughly examined and declared free of the danger zone, the doctor gave the couple some privacy and told them he would have soup brought to the patient whenever Erwin felt like trying to eat something. Levi then explained everything to his lover.

"You got a hair up your ass to get a house boat to use as a vacation home for us," informed Levi. "We were out in the water on one of them that caught your eye. The seller was showing us how it handled because you wanted to make sure it was sea worthy. I'm not sure how you managed to do it, but I came out of the bathroom to join you on the deck, just in time to see you trip and fall right over the railing. I think you were checking out the ladder we'd use to take a swim or something."

"So I just fell off the side of the boat?" Erwin frowned.

"Yeah, and you didn't come back up. The owner heard me yelling and he came out to see what was going on. We both jumped in after you. Lucky for us we found you, but you were unconscious and your head was bleeding pretty bad. Together we got you back on board, and we called the emergency number for the coast guard. They came out and got you to the hospital fast enough to get treatment before it was too late."

Erwin's gaze unfocused, and then he looked around at his surroundings. "How long?"

"A little over a week," answered Levi. "They were talking about putting you on a feeding tube if you didn't wake up in the next day or two. Thank fuck it didn't come to that."

Levi tilted his head when Erwin retained that look of utter confusion. "What do you remember? Could you hear me talking to you at all while you were out?"

"I remember looking at the houseboat now," said Erwin. "Nothing beyond that, though. I think I might have heard you, but it's hard to say if that wasn't just in my head. It's only been a week?"

"Yeah, give or take a couple of days. Why?"

"It's just...I think I was dreaming the entire time," Erwin said softly. "It seemed so real, though. It certainly felt like more than a week passed while I was in that coma."

"How long did it feel like?" asked Levi.

"More like a month." Erwin's gaze flicked over him from head to toe. "You're my boyfriend, right?"

Concern stirred in Levi's breast. The doctor said there was no brain damage, but he did caution that there could be some memory loss. "Yeah. I'm your twinkie. We've been together for more than a year. I just moved in with you last month after you pestered me over it to the point where I gave in."

"I remember." Erwin smiled weakly. "Just bear with me, love. I'm still disoriented, and while I was out, I was living another life."

"Yeah? So what did you dream about?"

"You, mostly," confided the blond. "It was very realistic, but I should have known it couldn't be real."

"Why not?" Levi smirked. "Were there pink elephants in it or something?"

"No, but there were mermaids. Rather, there was a mer _man_ and he happened to be you."

Levi blinked. "Is that why you're looking at me like you're checking for horns or something?"

Erwin chuckled. "That's right. It was an amazing dream, but I don't understand why I didn't immediately know who you were when you showed up in it. In my dream, I had a yacht that got boarded by pirates—"

"Pirates?" interrupted Levi incredulously. "And that didn't clue you in that it was a dream?"

"They weren't wearing eye patches with peg legs or hook hands," explained Erwin. "Pirates do exist in this day and age, you know. As I was saying, though: they boarded my yacht and I had to jump overboard to keep from getting taken hostage. I ended up stranded on a deserted island, and I found out I wasn't alone after all when strange gifts started showing up in my camp. I found out you were the one leaving them for me when I saw you in the water being attacked by a shark. You fought it off, and you were injured. I pulled you out of the water and found out you were a merman."

"Wow, no kidding?" Levi scratched his head. "That's some imagination you've got there, blondie. So in this dream, you didn't know who I was when you saw me?"

"You were oddly familiar to me," explained Erwin, "but I couldn't place where I might have seen you before. Maybe my memory was damaged at the time, and that was why the Levi in my dream was familiar and yet a stranger to me."

"So did we fuck in this dream?" asked Levi curiously.

"Yes, eventually." Erwin smirked. "In a very interesting way, at one point."

"How did that work?" Levi grimaced, trying to picture it but lacking his partner's vivid imagination. "If I was half-fish, where would you have put your dick? Shit, don't tell me I was a reverse merman with the fish part on the upper half instead of the lower."

"No, Levi. You weren't a reverse merman." Erwin laughed softly, and then winced and rubbed his temples. "Ouch, I should avoid laughing too hard for now. My head aches."

"You had a concussion." Levi reached out to stroke Erwin's hair gently. "It was pretty bad. Doesn't surprise me that your head still hurts from it. So anyway, how did we have sex if I was a fish from the waist down?"

"Well, you only had a tail while you were in sea water," explained Erwin. "When you were out of the water and dry, the tail turned into legs. Granted, you had scales covering your legs up to the top of your thighs, but other than that you were as human out of the water as I am."

Levi grimaced again. "I had fish scales even out of the water, and you still wanted to bang me?"

"They weren't like ordinary fish scales. They were smooth...almost leathery. You didn't smell like fish either, if that's your next concern."

"Good to know. So what else happened in this dream of yours?"

"You and I traveled to another island together once your shark bite healed enough for you to swim. You had a little shack there, and we stayed there together waiting for rescue. There was an ocean liner that you said was scheduled to pick you up on its way back to the mainland, but it never came."

"Why didn't we just use our phones to call someone for help? Or did you lose yours when you jumped ship?" Levi traced the shell of Erwin's ear with his fingertip, making the bigger man shiver.

"Incidentally, we both had phones but neither of them were working. Mine got damaged in the ocean, and you said you dropped yours in the toilet while on the cruise ship heading to your vacation island."

Levi snorted. "Figures I'd drop it in a toilet. Huh, so this whole time you've been in a coma, you were dreaming that you were trapped on an island with a merman who just happened to be me. Interesting. So tell me, what was this 'interesting way' we had sex that you mentioned earlier?"

"We did it in the lagoon while you were in your aquatic form," obliged Erwin.

Levi blinked slowly. "Uh-huh. How? Did I blow you underwater, or what? Otherwise I can't imagine where you'd have put your dick."

"I'm almost afraid to tell you the details," muttered Erwin.

"Come on, you brought it up," insisted Levi, fighting back an impending grin. He loved it when Erwin blushed, though he never told him so.

"Well, you had all of your...parts," answered the blond. "Genitals and...er...other parts essential to intercourse."

"You mean I was swimming around with my junk just hanging out?" Levi's nose crinkled, and he imagined fish trying to nip at it. "Shit, that sounds awkward as hell."

"It really wasn't like that," assured Erwin. "There was this slit in your pelvic area, like a pouch of sorts. Your groin stayed covered and protected inside of it when you weren't in a state of arousal."

"Weird," remarked Levi sincerely. "So it would just poke out when I got hard? What about the other stuff? I'm guessing you meant I still had an asshole in fish form when you mentioned other 'parts', right?"

"Yes. You were fully intact everywhere. That's how we were able to make love while you were transformed."

Levi tried to wrap his head around the notion. "I guess that makes sense. Fish have all that stuff too. Bet it was a chore to take a dump in that form, though."

"I wouldn't know. I never saw you do it."

"That would have been messed up, and probably a huge turn-off for you." Levi smirked at him. "What color was the tail and the scales on my legs?"

"Black, and it faded into white at the dorsal and tail fins. It was actually very beautiful."

"I see." Levi sat down on the edge of the bed, scooting closer to Erwin. "Did you like me more in my fish form or in my human form?"

"I liked you equally in both." Erwin smiled at him. "You were stunning to me, just as you are in real life. There was one downside, though—aside from us being trapped on the island."

"What was that?" prompted Levi.

Erwin met his gaze, and Levi could see a glimmer of recalled sadness in that bright, blue stare. "You didn't want our relationship to continue beyond our time on that island. You insisted on it being a temporary arrangement, and once we got rescued, you intended to go our separate ways. I spent the better part of my time doing my best to convince you to change your mind about that."

"Catch and release, eh?" Levi sighed. "Sounds kind of like how the beginning of our real life relationship started out. Maybe that's why it happened like that in the dream. Say, is that why you were mumbling 'come back' before you woke up?"

"I spoke aloud?"

Levi nodded. "Really faintly, but yes. You said it twice before you really started coming out of it. That was the first real sign of life I'd seen you show since this all happened. What was going on in your head when you said that?"

"You were missing," Erwin said, a thoughtful look on his comely face. "You'd left to scavenge for more food supplies and search for help. The ship that you'd told me was supposed to collect us didn't show up, so you wanted to see if you could find it and signal it. You never came back, and when I started waking up, I thought I was suffering some kind of sleep paralysis."

Erwin lowered his gaze. "I can't describe how confused I was when I was finally able to open my eyes and found myself in this place, with you looking down at me. I thought _that_ was a dream and I was still trapped on that island, at first. Then it all started coming back to me as you talked, and I knew I'd dreamt the whole thing."

"Well, I'm glad you're back and you haven't lost your memories," sighed Levi. "I'll admit, I've never been so fucking scared in my life. I really thought I was going to lose you."

He felt his eyes start to burn again, and Levi hastily wiped at them and looked away, compressing his lips. "I'm not sure I want that house boat you were after, now. I can't take another close call like that."

"Levi, it was a simple accident," reasoned the blond. "It didn't happen because of the house boat. I tripped, and that's all. It could have happened in any setting. I could have tripped on some stairs or on a curb. I could have—"

"Okay, I get it," snapped Levi. "You don't need to paint me a picture of all the ways you could get hurt. It's been hard enough coming here and seeing you lying there unresponsive every day."

"I'm just trying to make you see reason," countered Erwin. "You can't put me in a bubble and protect me from the world, lover. Accidents can happen to anyone, and I'm no safer on land than in a boat. Don't make me give up on my dreams of having a house boat over this."

Levi heaved a sigh, and he nodded. Erwin was right; he was being ridiculous. It wasn't like him to be so unreasonable. "All right. I don't want you to feel like you've got to choose between me and a boat. After you're released and feeling up to it, we can keep looking like we planned. Just don't be surprised if I'm a little jumpy about you going too close to the edge of the boat for a while."

"I understand." Erwin took Levi's hand, and he brought it to his lips to kiss the palm of it. His IV tube stretched, and he prudently let go of Levi's hand to adjust it. "I hope they take this thing off soon. I'm going to need to go to the bathroom."

Levi looked at the IV bag hanging above the vitals monitor. "I think it's on wheels. Need help getting into the bathroom?"

Erwin sat up carefully, taking a deep breath. He put his legs over the side of the bed, and he teetered a bit. Levi quickly put an arm around him to support him, concern plain on his face.

"Easy," advised Levi. "I don't think you're even supposed to be getting out of bed without a nurse present. Just hold off while I call for one. You might have to use a bed pan for now."

"I'm not using a bed pan," insisted Erwin stubbornly.

"But if you can't walk, you're not going to make it to the bathroom either. Don't be a dumb ass, Erwin. Let's see what they say about it and we'll compromise if we have to."

"All right. Let's get this over with."

* * *

A male nurse came in with a wheelchair after Levi called the station for assistance. The nurse wheeled Erwin into the bathroom and partly closed the door to give him some privacy, advising him to sit while he relieved his bladder, rather than trying to stand. After successfully taking care of business, Erwin got back into his bed with the help of the nurse. Levi would have helped his lover himself, but Erwin admitted to him that he didn't want him to do that because he thought it would sully his view of him. That notion was absurd to Levi, but in the interest of not upsetting his boyfriend, he went along with it.

They brought a bowl of chicken noodle soup to Erwin for dinner, and Levi went down to the cafeteria to get something for himself. He brought it back to the hospital room with him and they ate together while watching the evening news.

Now that Erwin was awake again, Levi refused to leave his side. He'd brought his laptop with him and he insisted on staying overnight and doing his school work on the laptop. Erwin couldn't convince him to go home, so he quietly watched television while Levi studied online. A nurse brought a pillow and blanket for Levi to use on the reclining visitor's chair, but he ended up climbing into bed with Erwin after trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable enough in the recliner to sleep.

It was a tight fit and Levi had to lie halfway on top of Erwin, but he made it work. Erwin stroked his back, lulling the younger male to sleep the way he often did at home. At some point a nurse came in to check Erwin's blood pressure and temperature, and Levi stirred and looked up at her to see a frown of disapproval on her lips. She didn't say anything about him lying in the bed with Erwin, but he could tell by the look on her face that he wasn't supposed to be doing it. Whether she held her tongue because she was too intimidated to speak up or because she sympathized with him, he could only guess.

Levi stayed until the doctor signed Erwin's release forms, two days later. He had a shower while he was there, but he didn't bring a change of clothes with him and had to settle for wearing the same outfit the whole time. He called his mother for a ride home when he got confirmation that Erwin was getting released, and she came and picked them up.

"I am so relieved," she confessed to Erwin as he and Levi got into the back of her van together. "When Levi called and told me you were awake, I actually hooted with joy."

Erwin smiled at her, reflected in the rearview mirror. "Thank you, Kuchel. I'm glad to be back."

He tugged at the t-shirt he was wearing, and Levi glanced at him and couldn't look away immediately. Hange had bought the clothes Erwin was wearing, and she'd dropped them off at the hospital the day before the blond woke up. The pants seemed to fit well enough, but the white t-shirt with the blue car brand logo on it was tight on him. Though Erwin had lost a bit of weight while he was in his coma, the shirt was too small for him and it stretched over his torso tight enough to display his physique like a second skin.

"It's ridiculous, I know," sighed Erwin when he noticed Levi's stare. "I look like a grown man wearing a kid's shirt."

"I'm not complaining." Levi allowed his gaze to linger on him a bit longer, conscious of his mother in the driver's seat. He wanted to say more, but he didn't want her hearing him making lewd suggestions to his boyfriend. "At least Hange thought to bring you something. I didn't even consider what you'd wear home if and when you woke up and got released. I should have brought something from our place."

"You had your mind on other things," excused Erwin. He put an arm around the smaller man. "If our situations had been reversed, bringing you clothing would have been the furthest thing from my mind."

"Yeah. All I was thinking about was seeing you open your eyes and talk to me again," agreed Levi. "Everything else was at the bottom of the priority list for me. Oh, I called your office while you were getting changed in the bathroom, too. They said you can come back in whenever you want, but there's no rush. You don't have to go back to work right away."

"Good." Erwin smiled. "I think I'd like to take a week to appreciate being alive before I start working myself to death again."

"And you two can spend some much-needed time together," Kuchel suggested. "Maybe you could come to dinner at my house this weekend?"

"That would be nice," agreed Erwin. "Let's shoot for Sunday around six."

"It's a date," enthused Kuchel.

Levi looked between his mother and Erwin. Kuchel had taken a while to really warm up to the man, especially after what happened with Jackson. She still clung to some reservations she couldn't seem to shake, but that was due to a mother's protective instincts for her son more than anything else. Levi thought she realized now that Erwin wasn't going to hurt him...at least not deliberately. That made things a lot easier for him. She'd never been as nice to his previous boyfriends as she was to Erwin, and that had always made holidays more complicated than they had to be.

Levi noticed Erwin gazing at him thoughtfully, and the man's eyes kept drifting to his legs. He raised a brow. "I don't have scales under these jeans," he whispered, guessing that Erwin's mind was on that weird dream he'd been stuck in while he was out.

"I know. I was just thinking..."

Levi's curiosity piqued when Erwin trailed off without finishing. "Thinking about what? What were you going to say?"

Erwin hesitated, glancing Kuchel's way. "I'll tell you later," he said.

Now very intrigued but suspecting the man's reluctance was due to him not wanting Kuchel to hear whatever it was he was thinking of, Levi let the subject drop. He had his sexy stud back now, and that was what mattered to him the most.

* * *

-To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand, part 2 of "Sugar Daddy" is now complete! Thank you for partaking in this weirdness. I hope people enjoyed it.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," muttered Levi, checking himself out in the mirror. He'd promised Erwin that he would be open-minded though, and he was so happy to have him back in his life that he would have done just about anything Erwin asked of him. It wasn't such an odd fantasy to fulfill, he supposed. Mermaid tail blankets were all the rave now, and Erwin surely wasn't the first man to think up this kind of scenario. He'd asked Levi about it the night he got home from the hospital, after Kuchel left and they could speak alone. At first Levi thought he was joking, but he could see by the look in his eye that Erwin was serious about his suggestion.

The fish tail covering Levi's legs and feet was black. It was the closest color option they had available to what Erwin had described his tail to look like in the dream. He'd tried to find a more expensive and extravagant costume tail, but this far from Halloween, there weren't any local shops carrying anything like that. He'd found some online shops that offered detailed silicone mermaid tails that could actually be worn in the water and swam in like diving flippers, but when Levi saw that they started at around two-thousand dollars, he promptly refused to go along with it.

_"You'll just have to settle for one of those cloth tails for now, Erwin. You don't even know if this little game you've come up with is going to be as thrilling as you think. It could end up being too ridiculous to get into once we get started, or it could be awkward and disappointing. Let's play it cautious and try it out before you invest that kind of money into a fantasy."_

Erwin had reluctantly agreed to hold off on custom ordering one of the fancy tails, but Levi suspected he was only doing it for his sake. Erwin was too observant not to notice Levi's uncertainty about this idea, so his compliance with the suggestion to wait was more for Levi's benefit than his own.

Now donning the polyester tail and nothing else save for a shark tooth necklace, Levi inspected his reflection and he hoped to hell Erwin's experience hadn't turned him into the kind of man that couldn't be satisfied unless acting out sexual fantasies. Bedroom games were fun, of course. Levi didn't have anything against using toys or being tied up now and then, but he also liked vanilla sex that didn't require a lot of preparation or dressing up. The last time he'd put on a costume for Erwin was when he dressed up as a leather boy in a pair of assless chaps. That had been fun, but this mermaid thing was just weird to him.

"The things I do for this guy," sighed Levi. He smirked a little at himself, and then he turned around carefully and bunny-hopped over to the big, platform bed. He crawled onto it, rolled onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows.

"All right, sailor," Levi called out to the man waiting on the other side of the bedroom door. "You've reeled me in and I'm at your mercy."

The door open, and Erwin stepped in wearing a blue and white striped shirt and a pair of blue trousers. It was a rather whimsical and outdated version of a sailor's uniform, complete with a blue scarf tied around the blond's neck. He looked Levi up and down, and the heat of his gaze left no question in Levi's mind of whether he approved of how he looked in the tail.

"Did you make the adjustments I asked for?" asked the businessman, closing the door behind himself.

Levi nodded. Right now it wasn't obvious that he'd altered certain parts of the tail for this encounter. He wasn't hard yet, so his junk was still covered by the material. Since he was on his back, the hole he'd cut into the backside of the tail wasn't visible either.

"Excellent." Erwin got onto the bed with him, devouring him with his eyes. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

Levi frowned a little, not immediately understanding why Erwin would even feel the need to give him such reassurance. He then realized the man was acting out his role in this game, and Levi was supposed to be acting like a merman who got unexpectedly caught by a sailor's fishing net.

"Oh. Right. Uh, how do I know I can trust you?" He blushed, feeling foolish. He could play out fantasies with the best of them, but being a stripper or a submissive sex slave was a hell of a lot different from trying to pretend he was some mythological creature.

Erwin was forgiving of Levi's awkward attempt to get into his role. He reached out to touch his face with a feather-soft caress. "I understand your wariness. I can only imagine what sort of things you've heard about human men."

"They're butchers," said Levi convincingly enough. That was actually somewhat true. Humans did have a long history of destroying other civilizations, enslaving their fellow man, raping and pillaging. He figured that if he really were a merman, he would have every reason to avoid humans.

"Not all of us," reasoned Erwin. "I freed you from my net, and I haven't shown you any aggression, have I?"

"Then let me go. If you really don't mean me any harm, you'll drop me overboard and let me be on my way."

"I can't do that," Erwin stated. "You're too valuable."

"Then what do you want from me?" Levi asked him. "Are you going to cut my scales off and sell them? Keep me as a sideshow display and make money off showing me off?"

"No, nothing like that." Erwin looked him up and down slowly, possessively. "I've never seen anyone like you. When I say you're valuable to me, I don't mean it in the sense of making monetary profit off of you. I want you for myself."

Levi pretended ignorance, trying a different approach from his usual sultry behavior when he and Erwin spiced things up. "What do you mean?"

Erwin blinked, briefly betraying some surprise over the innocent question. He studied Levi's face, and he slid his hand down to his shoulder, then his bicep. "I see that subtlety isn't going to work. Could it be that you're innocent to the ways of men?"

"You mean the way your kind fishes out the best hunting spots and pollutes the ocean with your trash? I'm familiar with that."

Erwin grinned briefly before schooling his expression back into a stoic mask. "I mean the things men do with women, and with each other if they prefer males. Are you a virgin?"

Levi's breath quickened slightly, and he tried to play it off as fear rather than excitement. He had no idea why the thought of Erwin popping his cherry was so hot to him. That ship had sailed long before they even met, but he could pretend he'd never been with a man before, couldn't he?

"What's a virgin?"

Erwin leaned over him, his face closing the distance between them. He kissed Levi's neck softly, and his hand stroked over the smaller man's chest. "I think you know already. You've never had another man inside of you, have you? I've captured a true innocent."

Levi almost said Erwin wanted to rape him, but he quickly decided against it. Mentioning rape even as part of his act would kill the mood for him, and probably for Erwin, too. The last thing he wanted to think about was the close call he'd had with his ex a year ago. He improvised, trying a different option.

"You want sex, is that it?"

"Yes." Erwin sucked on the tender skin he was kissing, and he traced one of Levi's nipples with his fingertips. "I want you to be mine. I've dreamed of having a merman for most of my life, but I never thought I would actually find one. You're even more beautiful than I expected. I have to have you."

They hadn't really plotted out all of the details of how this was going to go, because Erwin preferred to improvise rather than follow some script when they fooled around like this. Levi had expected Erwin's character to be ignorant of the existence of mer people, but apparently he was playing the role of a man that had been searching for them his whole life. That was fine. It eliminated the complication of Erwin having to pretend not to know anything about Levi's anatomy and allowed them to get right on the ball.

"What is your answer?" purred Erwin. "Will you cooperate, or not?"

"Are you giving me a choice?" asked Levi carefully, still avoiding the unpleasant subject of violation.

"I won't force you," answered the blond. He rubbed Levi's nipple, making it harden and causing a shudder of pleasure to race through Levi. "I would rather you give yourself to me willingly."

Levi's dick started to swell, and it peeked out of the slit Levi had cut into the front of the fake tail so that he could be exposed without having to pull the waistline down. "If I let you do this," he breathed, "will you free me afterwards?"

"Once I've had my fill of you," agreed Erwin, "I'll let you go. I should warn you that my gratification isn't going to be satisfied quickly, though. I'm going to have you more than once, and only when my lust for you is completely sated will I put you back into the water."

Levi swallowed, squirming a little in sexual restlessness. This was definitely turning out to be more erotic and exciting than he'd anticipated. He'd had a horrible fear that he might even start laughing once they got started, but he was falling into the fantasy with surprising ease. Maybe it was just the thought of Erwin dominating him and fucking him over and over again until he was on the verge of passing out from it. He was the only man Levi had ever trusted enough to give himself so completely to.

"And if I refuse?" He immediately wished he hadn't said that, because he was getting anxious for the sex to begin and making the dialog stretch out would only delay things further.

"If you refuse, I won't release you," promised Erwin. "I'll have no choice but to keep you, and I'll put every effort into seducing you until you either give in, or one of us dies."

Levi found the last part to be slightly creepy, but he supposed it was the kind of thing a man obsessed with mer people would say as an ultimatum. He shivered, and he made another play on the virginal persona that he'd adopted for this encounter.

"Will it hurt?"

Erwin met his eyes, and by the brief expression of guilt that crossed his face, Levi had asked the question in a perfectly convincing way. Erwin composed himself, and he fondled Levi's other nipple. "There's going to be discomfort at first, until your body adjusts to it. I can't prevent that, but I promise you I'll be as gentle as I can. You're going to be feeling good before you know it. You'll see."

Erwin started kissing him, and the pressure of his lips was uncommonly gentle. It made Levi feel like he really _was_ a virgin, like he was experiencing the first kiss of his life. It confused him even as it gave him a thrill. Damn, was his sugar daddy ever good. Erwin could make him feel things that nobody else ever had, and right now he was actually succeeding at convincing Levi that he was breaking in an untouched newbie.

Erwin's tongue eased between Levi's lips and into his mouth, gliding against his with patient, sensual care. Levi didn't have to fake the uncertain way he returned the caress of the other man's tongue, because this was a new way of kissing with Erwin that he wasn't used to. He couldn't decide how he would have reacted the first time he and Erwin kissed if the blond had used this technique rather than the passionate urgency he'd employed back then. He'd kissed Levi like he wanted to devour him, like he had to have him and couldn't contain his need. The way he was kissing him right now, however, conveyed such tenderness and protectiveness that it made Levi feel...what? Vulnerable?

Whatever it was, it wasn't unpleasant. His fingers carded through Erwin's hair impulsively, and his breath caught as Erwin's thigh rubbed against his erection, which was now poking out full-length from the slit in the crotch of the tail.

"So hard already," murmured Erwin between kisses. He glanced down at the flushed, engorged member. "What a pretty sight that is."

Levi jerked when the blond's hand slid down his body to touch his sex, and it wasn't a fabricated reaction. He was actually startled by the touch—a thing that amazed him. This role he was getting into was having a very real effect on his behavior, along with the way Erwin was handling him.

"Just relax," advised Erwin, watching his face as he fisted his hand over the shaft and started to stroke it slowly. "You've got a very sensitive body, don't you?"

Levi exhaled unsteadily, gazing back at the bigger man. His hips canted helplessly, and his eyes lost focus as his lover steadily pumped his hand. "Feels...good."

"There's plenty more where that comes from," vowed Erwin. He lowered his mouth to Levi's chest, and he tongued each nipple one at a time. Levi moaned throatily, his body tingling with pleasure. Erwin started sucking on the right bud, taking his time with it. His tongue swirled around the responsive flesh, and Levi felt the sensations it caused all the way to his scalp. He trembled, tossing his head on the pillow.

"Stop," he gasped, trying to act like his body's reactions were scaring him. "It's doing funny things to me."

Erwin didn't comply. He switched to the other nipple, and his hand stroked faster. Thick beads of precum formed on the tip of Levi's captured length, and they dribbled down over his companion's gripping hand. Levi's composure was starting to crumble under the delightful assault, and his face heated with a flush of passion. He found it easy to imagine himself being new to this, easy to picture Erwin as his first.

"Oh...ahh, that's...making me...shit, Erwin..." in the heat of the moment, Levi slipped out of character and forgot to speak like the inexperienced virgin he was supposed to be playing. "You'll make me come. Oh fuck...it's so good. I'm gonna blow it, blondie!"

"Don't fight it," demanded the older man. "I want you to give it all to me, Levi. I want this beautiful little body shaking all over with pleasure."

Levi still tried to hold back, if only to make it last a little longer. He couldn't manage it, though. This was the first encounter they'd had together since Erwin's accident. He'd wanted to have sex the first night Erwin was home from the hospital, but the blond man had been too tired for more than a little foreplay. It felt like it had been much longer than a week since the last time Erwin's hands had been on Levi's body. He felt hyper sexual now, driven to a desperate state by the scenario they were playing and the brief period of celibacy.

"Erwin...hah...Erwin!"

Levi's hips jerked, rising off the mattress. He grabbed at Erwin's shoulders, squeezing the broad expanse of them as he unloaded in the blond's hand. It was a shocking load, a lot more cum than Levi usually produced when he climaxed. His head dropped back against the pillow and he panted for breath. The throbbing slowed down, and Erwin stopped sucking on Levi's nipple to kiss his chest, his throat and finally his blushing cheek.

"That's what I wanted," husked Erwin. "You should see yourself right now. The face your making is so erotic, so open and full of surrender. I don't think I've ever seen anything so enchanting."

Levi opened his eyes to look up at the man leaning over him. Erwin's expression was a bit strained with lust. His crotch was bulging and hard, pressed intimately against Levi's thigh. Levi reached up to pull the scarf off of Erwin's neck, and then he slid his hand up underneath the man's shirt. Gazing up at him with lidded eyes, he tried to think of a way to convey his willingness without sounding too eager. He was supposed to be getting coerced into this, after all.

"If you're going to do this, shouldn't you be undressed?"

"Yes, I should," agreed Erwin. "I'm glad you're being more agreeable."

"I...just want it over with," excused Levi. "But if it's going to make me feel like you just did, maybe it won't be so bad."

"Oh, I plan to make you feel that way as many times as possible." Erwin smiled at him, and he sat up to tug his shirt up and off of him. He noticed Levi eyeing his bare chest, and he eased down beside him again. "You can touch me. Get familiar with my body. It's all right."

Levi hesitated for just a moment longer, and then he reached up to place his palms flat against Erwin's chest. He stroked his flesh, feeling the crisp pattern of chest hair under his hands. Levi did love Erwin's chest. He loved his whole body, but there was something about seeing the man shirtless that really turned him on. He was a little bit thinner than usual due to his ordeal, but his body was still fit and muscular.

"You're a lot bigger than I am," Levi observed softly. "I'll bet you're heavy, too. Are you going to be on top of me when we do this?"

Erwin paused for a moment, thinking it over. "I think I want you on your side. That way I can touch you everywhere while I'm taking you, without having to burrow my hand under you to do it, and I won't be putting any weight on you."

Levi turned onto his side, facing the blond. He bit his lip as he reached back behind himself and searched for the hole in the ass of his fake tail. He looked at Erwin with what he hoped was an innocent enough expression, and he asked another question. "Are you going to be putting it in here?"

Erwin's throat visibly worked as he swallowed, his blue gaze following the motion as Levi stroked his finger over the pucker of his entrance. "Yes, I'll be putting it in there. First though, I'm going to prepare you. I need to get you stretched and wet for me before I start, or you won't be able to take it."

"How will you do that?" questioned Levi. His cock was stirring again, the intimate conversation getting him excited already.

Erwin reached out for the tube of lubricant that he'd put on the bedside table earlier, and he unscrewed the cap. "I'll use this generously. It may feel a little strange and messy at first, but you won't be thinking of that for very long. Roll over and put your back to me, Levi. I can't wait for much longer to have you."

Levi hesitated again for a convincing amount of time, and then he faked a resigned sigh and did as he was told. Erwin's fingers trailed down his spine, and then the index finger rubbed gently against his sphincter. It tickled a little, the touch was so gentle. Levi drew in a breath, and he turned his head to watch as Erwin's finger retreated and the blond squeezed a dollop of the lubricant onto it. Erwin huffed on it to warm it a bit, and then he smeared it over Levi's entrance.

"Slippery," remarked Levi tightly. His groin throbbed, and his ass clenched reactively. He made himself relax, opening up for his companion to make this part go easier.

"It's necessary," explained Erwin, going along with Levi's act of cluelessness. "That's it; just relax for me. I'm going to put my finger in now, Levi. Don't try to resist it, and it will go much easier."

"How do I...oh!" Levi's surprised gasp wasn't fabricated. Though Erwin had warned him he was about to enter him, he'd expected to have a little more time to prepare for it. Erwin's finger delved slowly and deeply into his body, and it didn't stop until it was in to the knuckle.

"Relax," Erwin reminded softly. He kissed Levi's shoulder, withdrew his finger to the tip and then eased it back in again. He began to pump it steadily, his breath hot against Levi's skin. "God, the way your squeezing me right now. It's going to feel so amazing when I put my dick inside of this tight little ass."

Levi's breath huffed, and his eyes drifted shut. He deliberately tightened his inner muscles to keep up the act of someone that had never done this before.

"No, you're clenching," admonished the blond. "Take a deep breath and accept me, love. It will get easier, I promise."

Levi trembled, and he relaxed around the thick digit inside of him. Gasping Erwin's name, he bowed his head and let him finger him at his leisure. It came as no surprise to Levi when that talented finger found and stroked his sweet spot, but he pretended otherwise. Somehow, imagining that he'd never felt it stroked before made it feel more intense. Levi remembered how it was the first time he'd experienced it, and he reacted the same way now as he had back then.

"God, Erwin...h-holy fuck!"

Erwin paused for a second, and Levi turned his head more to get a better look at him, wondering what was wrong. He saw the uncertainty in the blond's eyes. He decided to break character for a second, if only to reassure his lover.

"It's okay," Levi gasped. "I'm okay."

"That didn't sound like you were acting," observed the bigger man. He smiled. "Are you getting into this that much?"

"I...I wasn't dramatizing," admitted Levi, still reeling from the jolt that had shot through his body. "I was getting into it, yeah. Never thought playing the role of a virgin would be this hot."

"Then by all means, keep going." Erwin kissed Levi's parted lips softly, and then his lips traveled to his neck again. "Now, where were we?"

Levi focused on the fantasy again, reacting the way he thought would fit his role. He was no actor and his imagination wasn't stellar, but Erwin made it easy for him. The blond cajoled him, kissed him, fondled him and fingered him until Levi was jerking back against him. Erwin was taking special care with his body, stroking his prostate generously, but with less pressure than Levi was used to.

"I told you that you would start to feel good."

Levi had to remind himself of the game they were playing. He shot a narrow-eyed glare at his companion, doing his best to look resentful. He couldn't think of anything to say, though. His cock was twitching, his ass was quivering and he was on the verge of coming again. A swift gasp escaped him as Erwin's fingers rubbed his sweet spot again, and his glare faltered under the erotic assault.

"You want to be angry with me," purred Erwin. His fingers curled again, and Levi whimpered. "You can't though, can you? You were made for me, and I was made for you. Your body knows it even if your head denies it."

"Bastard," gasped Levi—and he wasn't entirely acting. Erwin's words would have creeped him out, coming from some other man. As it stood, they only enflamed his lust more.

"Is that all you have to say?" Erwin smirked against the side of Levi's neck, and the sound of a zipper being drawn down reached Levi's ears. "Not a very convincing argument. I have a good rebuttal for that, however."

Levi could sense what was coming, and he braced for it impulsively. His head went back and his hands clenched into fists as Erwin's big, long girth nudged into him. The blond had used generous amounts of lubricant and prepared Levi well, so the breach came smoothly.

"Take it out," cried Levi convincingly enough to make Erwin hesitate again. He grabbed the big hand that was curled around his erection, giving it a little squeeze to encourage him to keep going. "It's...so big..."

"It will get better," promised Erwin. "Shh, be still. Don't try to pull away. Easy."

Levi couldn't keep fabricating pain. It felt too damned good to put up a convincing act. He tried to spread his legs, take his lover in deeper, but the tail he was wearing over them kept them bound together. It was a restraining feeling, oddly erotic in the way it limited his ability to move and slid against his skin. He groaned roughly, his teeth clenching in an effort to hold back his vocalizations. Levi broke into a sweat as his lover started moving.

He couldn't take it. That big cock was plunging into him in that slow, deliberate way Erwin sometimes employed when he was in the mood for a lazy screw. The blond's gasps were ragged and hot against Levi's cheek, and Erwin's groans of pleasure turned him on even more.

"Hnnh...ah...oh shit...more..."

"You want it harder?" rasped Erwin, and he rammed home, making Levi's eyes fly open wide, along with his mouth. "Deeper?"

Levi choked as Erwin demonstrated that he still had some length to give him. It filled him, stretched him and made his mind go blank. Levi didn't recognize the guttural sound that came from his own throat, and his legs curled up and shook. He was almost in a fetal position when the pleasure exploded, his stomach bunching tight and his hands squeezing the bedding.

Levi's strength bled out of him with his spunk. He panted and shook in the aftermath, and Erwin gentled his thrusts and pulled him closer. He rubbed his cheek against the smaller male's in an affectionate manner, and he gave Levi time to recover from his orgasm.

Levi thought that their little roleplay was over with now, but Erwin apparently still wanted to play a bit.

"You're much more agreeable now." Erwin kissed Levi's ear again, and he fondled his softening cock. "I'd like to drive away the rest of your resentment. I'm not finished with you. Not nearly."

Levi twisted a little, looking back at the blond. His bangs had fallen over his eyes, and he reached up to comb them away with his fingers. "What more do you want from me? You've had your way."

Erwin traced his fingers low over Levi's abs, just above the waistline of the fake tail covering his legs. "I want you in your other form. If you think I'm deep inside of you now, just wait until I have you spread out beneath me with your legs up over my shoulders."

Levi shivered, his insides still throbbing. "What do you mean, 'my other form'?"

"I see I've fucked you senseless." Erwin grinned at him. "You remember; you have legs out of the water and fins in the water."

"Oh." Levi remembered Erwin telling him that bit of weirdness, now that it was mentioned. He shrugged. "Then I should be dry enough to get my legs back by now, right?"

Erwin's response was to ease out of him and slide one hand between their bodies to tug at the zipper on the back of Levi's costume tail. He got it open, and he slid the material down over the smaller man's hips. Levi grimaced when he felt the sticky residue of his cum smearing against his hand as he moved to help Erwin free him from the restraint. They'd definitely have to wash that thing...provided they hadn't destroyed it with their activities.

Erwin dropped the mermaid tail to the floor once he'd helped Levi out of it, and he urged the smaller man onto his back. Still spent from his last climax, Levi gazed up at him, scanning him up and down. Damn, the man was hot. With those piercing blue eyes, that strong jaw, the aristocratic nose and those lips, it was no wonder Levi couldn't ever seem to say no to him. Not to mention that body and the magnum sized dick. Levi took in the sight of his lover's nudity, glad that he'd shed his pants and underwear in the process of helping Levi out of the tail..

"You're right," he said breathlessly, unable to tear his eyes off the blond. Levi spread his thighs invitingly, reached up and put his arms around Erwin's neck, urging him to get into position faster.

"About what, love?" Erwin's hips wedged between Levi's thighs, and he kissed him briefly on the lips.

"You're made for me." Levi smirked, unable to help himself.

"And?" pressed Erwin huskily, bumping the tip of his sex teasingly against Levi's entrance.

Levi stubbornly held off on saying what he knew the man wanted to hear, but with Erwin butting against him like this, his restraint couldn't last. "And I was made for you," he finished in a whisper.

The answer satisfied Erwin. He entered Levi again, his mouth crushing against his with urgency. That seemed to signal the end of their roleplay. Now they were just two men caught up in their passion and love for each other. Levi canted smoothly into Erwin's thrusts, their bodies meeting eagerly, their cries mingling together and their sweat glistening on their skin.

The game had been exciting and interesting for Levi, but in the end, he thought he would always prefer the reality of their relationship over a fantasy.

* * *

"So, how was your first weekend back at home since your accident?" Hange asked Erwin that Monday, after meeting up with him and Levi for lunch. "Feeling more like yourself now, I hope?"

"Yes. Levi's taken very good care of me." Erwin winked at his lover, sitting beside him. "He's the finest catch I've ever landed."

Levi coughed on the sip of tea he'd just taken and blushed ever so slightly. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, and he brought the bistro menu up to hide his face behind it. He mumbled something, and only the top of his head was visible now.

"Oh, I see." Hange chuckled. "Levi, there's no need to be embarrassed."

He peeked out over the top of his menu, looking adorably sullen to Erwin. "About what, four-eyes?"

Erwin looked at Hange, curious himself. Surely she couldn't have guessed from his comment that he'd had his twink dress up as a merman to have sex with him.

Hange shrugged. "You lovebirds making up for the time you lost while Erwin was comatose. People expect that, after all. I'm just glad you haven't work Erwin out."

"More like the other way around," muttered Levi. "Guy's got the stamina of a bull."

Now Erwin was blushing, and he cleared his throat and took a page from Levi's book, taking great interest in the menu. "It's ironic for you to say that after getting so mortified over subtlety, imp."

"Like you're the only one that can talk about our sex life," came the rebuttal. "Anyway, I'm going to have the shrimp po-boy."

Erwin smirked a little. It seemed Levi's earlier conservatism was only due to the suspicion that Hange had somehow figured out exactly what he'd been referencing when he made his remark about Levi being a good catch.

* * *

Levi had his reservations about having a second look at the very houseboat that Erwin had fallen off of, but the blond insisted. It had caught his interest more than any of the other ones they'd seen, and he wanted to give it another chance. Warning his lover not to go too close to the edges on deck, Levi went along with it and joined him. This time, they had a different real estate agent meet up with them. Levi's concerns for Erwin's safety took a temporary back seat when he laid eyes on the young man that met up with them at the office. He stood there dumbfounded for a moment, blinking at the guy as he came into the office wearing a suit and a deep green tie.

"Mr. Smith, right?" vivid green eyes with a hint of gold in them regarded Erwin and Levi respectively. He had a head of rich brown hair, kept above the collar but a bit on the shaggy side due to its thickness. Attractive in the face, he looked to be around Levi's age. The agent looked them both over for a moment, and he picked out which one was Erwin without having to ask.

"Nice to meet you," said the agent. "Eren Jaeger. I'll be your agent today, since Mrs. Foster is away on vacation."

Erwin was likewise frowning in concentration as he accepted the handshake, looking as though he too found the agent hauntingly familiar. "Pleased to meet you," he said cordially. "This is my partner, Levi Ackerman."

"Right." Eren nodded, betraying no surprise over their being a couple. "I checked out your client file and saw his name listed. I noticed you had an interest in the Harbor Cottage houseboat they had listed in Templeton."

Erwin nodded. "Yes. The style really appealed to me." He was still watching Eren with that suspicious expression on his face, like he'd seen him somewhere before but couldn't place where. "Initially I was going to look for something in a modern design, but seeing as the houseboat is meant to be a vacation home, I've decided I would prefer something different from the style of my own apartment."

"I hear you." Eren opened up a folder he carried under his arm, and he flipped through some documents within it. "Unfortunately, the one you were interested in bidding on got sold. I've printed out some other listings I found that are pretty similar to the last one you looked at, if you'd like to sit down and look through them."

Erwin sighed softly, revealing some disappointment. "It's a shame, but it can't be helped. Show us what else you've got, then."

* * *

Levi knew he was practically leering at Eren Jaeger, but he couldn't stop himself from staring at him because that sense of familiarity was nagging at him. It was similar to the startling feeling of recognition he'd felt with Farlan, Isabel, Hange and of course, Erwin. Even that detective Erwin had hired back when his ex rammed his car had a feeling of familiarity to Levi, though not as strong as this. Levi tried to be covert about it as he struggled to work out where he'd seen this real estate agent again. It couldn't be a coincidence. It didn't feel like the kind of vague recognition he would have felt if he'd run into someone he'd passed on the street before.

_~Just where the hell do I know you from, kid?~_

To be fair, Eren wasn't exactly a kid. Levi estimated that they were in the same age group, but that felt somehow wrong to him. It wasn't until Eren accidentally knocked some paperwork off his desk and got up to retrieve it that Levi was stuck with a moment of clarity so vivid that it almost made him reel. As the other young man squatted down on the floor to pick up the documents, he looked up at Levi with a quick, embarrassed apology. That position Eren was in, almost kneeling on the floor, caused an unexpected rush of memory to hit Levi right between the eyes. It was like the night when Jackson had attacked him and Levi had the vision that gave him the charge he needed to fight his ex off.

He'd beaten this young man to a bloody pulp before. He'd seen that face looking up at him from a similar position, only it had been bloodied, rapidly bruising and bearing an expression of rage and confusion on it. Even the hair was the same length and cut, but they'd been in some kind of court room and Eren Jaeger had been wearing the same uniform Levi recalled seeing himself and Erwin donning in his last vision.

_~What the hell? Was he a prisoner or something? Why was I kicking him like that? Why was he chained up to some pole?~_

"Levi?"

Dazed, Levi turned his attention to his lover, blinking at him. "What is it?"

"I was asking what you thought of this one."

"Oh." Levi leaned closer to his lover to check out the listing Erwin was looking at. The houseboat pictured on the paper was very similar to the one Erwin had shown such an interest in before falling overboard and nearly killing himself. The main difference was that it had green trimming rather than blue, and the siding was beige. "Looks like the same model of the one that tried to kill you."

Erwin chuckled. "It's a boat, Levi. It lacks the ability or desire to try and kill anyone. I agree though, this one is very similar."

"It's even got two bathrooms instead of one," Eren pointed out. He gazed at Erwin, his brows tightening briefly as if he too felt a sense of familiarity. "By the way, glad to see you're okay, Mr. Smith. They told me about what happened the last time you went houseboat hunting. You're damned lucky, sir."

"Tell me about it," muttered Levi. "I thought I was going to end up arranging his funeral instead of sailing away in a houseboat with him."

Eren smirked. "It must have been awful. Well, if this is the one you want to look at, I'll make the arrangements and we can get going. I'll drive."

"That would be wonderful," agreed Erwin. "Excuse us for a moment. I just need to get something out of my car. Levi?"

Confused, Levi looked up at the blond as Erwin got out of the chair he was sitting in. "I didn't leave anything in the—"

"Don't you want a cigarette before we go?" pressed Erwin. "I'm sure Mr. Jaeger wouldn't want anyone smoking in his car, and it's a thirty minute drive to our destination."

Levi hesitated, wondering what prompted Erwin to suggest it. True, he enjoyed a clove cigarette now and then just like Erwin occasionally indulged in a cigar, but Levi was cutting back again now that Erwin was recovered from his coma. Levi had smoked more in the time Erwin was unconscious than he usually smoked in a month.

"I guess," he finally said with a shrug. He looked at the real estate agent. "We'll be outside by his car. Just come get us when you're ready."

"Will do."

Levi walked out of the office and left the building with his partner. Once they were at the curb where Erwin had parked his car, Levi folded his arms over his chest and affixed the taller man with an expectant stare.

"So are you gonna tell me why you really wanted to come out here, and why I had to come with you?"

Erwin unlocked his car, opened up the driver's side and ducked in to get his cell phone out of the hump compartment. "That young real estate agent," he said hesitantly. He looked over the hood of the car at Levi, who had just opened up the passenger side to look for the forgotten pack of cloves he'd stashed in the glove box.

Levi paused with the pack in his hand, tilting his head. "Yeah? What about him?"

Erwin sighed, and he scratched his head. "If it were anyone besides you, I wouldn't even mention it. Keep that in mind before you tease me or accuse me of imagining things."

Levi smirked, guessing where this was heading. "He's familiar to me too. You don't have to dance around it with me...not after some of the shit we've talked about."

Erwin's stance loosened, and he lowered his bright gaze. "I questioned myself, to be honest. I wondered if it was actually past life recollection, or if I've just seen him out and about before."

"No, it's definitely recollection," insisted Levi. "Hit me like a sledgehammer for a minute, too. He was in the military with us. I got a flash of memory when he was picking up his paperwork off the floor."

"Oh?" Erwin waited for Levi to light up and close the passenger door, and then he locked the car up again. "What did you remember?"

Levi frowned, and he walked around to Erwin's side of the vehicle to lean back against it. "I'm not sure, honestly. We were in some kind of courtroom, and I think he was a prisoner. He was bound to this pole in the middle of the room."

Erwin frowned. "Maybe he was a defector or a spy for enemies."

"Don't know," admitted Levi. "I was kicking the shit out of him, though. You were there too, on the sidelines. I can't remember why I was doing it or what he did to end up in that position, but it was pretty brutal."

"I remember you mentioning having dreams about kicking someone," Erwin recalled. "Could it have been him, or was that just the sort of thing you liked to do regularly to people?"

"I'm pretty sure it was him." Levi took a drag of his cigarette, frowned at it and decided he just wasn't in the mood. He put it out on the curb and tossed it in a public trash receptacle. "Unless part of my job was to kick prisoners senseless on a regular basis. The face was too blurred to make out in the dreams I've had, but the setting was exactly the same."

"I suppose it doesn't matter what the reasons were," Erwin said. "I myself can't remember anything about him, but whatever he did in that time period to end up in that situation has no bearing on who he is today."

"True, but if he was a crooked soldier, he's probably a crooked sales agent too. Better keep an eye on him and make sure you read the fine print of anything you're asked to sign."

"I think I know how to read between the lines," defended Erwin. "I make a living out of it, love."

Levi stepped closer to him, and he allowed himself a brief moment of public affection, reaching up to straighten the blond's collar. "I realize that, but pitching a sales ad and buying real estate for yourself isn't exactly the same. I just don't want to see you get burned. Besides, you're still not at one-hundred percent. You took a hit to the head and then you nearly drowned. I'm just looking out for you, big guy."

Erwin smiled softly at him, and he gave one of Levi's hand a squeeze. "Why do you think I brought you along? I know that if there's anything I miss, you'll spot it and bring it to my attention. You're my partner, Levi. I trust your judgment."

Levi raised a teasing brow. "So it doesn't bother you that your younger, smaller lover is so protective of you?"

Erwin shook his head. "Not at all. I couldn't ask for a better person to have watching my back, and you know I'm just as protective of you."

Eren came out of the real estate office, holding a set of keys in his hand. "Okay, we're all set," he announced. "Ready to go and do some boat shopping?"

Erwin gave Levi a quick squeeze around the waist. "Absolutely."

* * *

Levi listened to and watched Eren Jaeger closely while they were touring the houseboat that Erwin had expressed an interest in. He looked for any sign of dishonesty or shiftiness from the other young man, but in truth, nothing about Eren set off any warning bells. In fact, Levi found the guy to be likeable, and he again wondered what in the hell Eren could have done in the past to earn such a beating from him.

His attention was torn away from the real estate agent when Erwin went out on the back deck to look at it, and Levi hastened to his lover's side, grabbing his nearest arm when Erwin approached the railing.

"Easy there, blondie," warned Levi, his heart skipping a beat. "Let's avoid repeating history, shall we?"

"Levi, I'm not going to fall overboard." That being said, Erwin did take a step back. He turned to regard their agent. "Are the furnishings and appliances included?"

"Yes sir, but the decor isn't," answered Eren. "Everything else stays, though if you want to replace the furnishings with your own we can arrange movers to help, for a discounted price."

"I like the furnishings as they are," decided Erwin. He turned to Levi. "You're the one studying architecture. What do you think?"

Levi walked through the sliding glass door leading back into the houseboat. He liked the kitchen area, with its wrap-around countertops, built-ins and full range of kitchen appliances. The Edison style pendant lighting was nice, as were the vaulted ceilings. The master suite had a king sized bed, plenty of closet space and a ceiling fan. There was also a lower stateroom with two queen sized mattresses and access to the guest bathroom. The place had all the comforts of home, including a stack washer/dryer unit for laundry.

All in all, it was a charming place and bigger than any home or apartment Levi had ever lived in up until he moved in with Erwin. He wasn't thrilled about it being on the water after what had happened to Erwin, but he supposed he would get over it in time.

"I like it," he said at last. "But how much do you know about houseboats, Erwin? I don't know a thing about maintaining the things, and the last thing we need is for this thing to sink while we're out vacationing in it."

"I'll take a mariner course and earn a Captain's license," offered Erwin. "I wouldn't try to captain a ship without having any idea how to steer it. What do you say? Want to sign up with me? We can probably find something that only takes a couple of weeks to finish, and I'm sure we can find something online that we can fit into our schedules."

Levi didn't really have an interest in learning how to operate a ship, but if he and Erwin were going to be spending their vacations on this boat, he figured he'd better learn how to operate it. Erwin could fall sick and need him to pilot the houseboat back to a port. There were any number of things that could happen that might put Levi in the position of having to captain the thing.

"All right," he agreed. "As long as it doesn't interfere too much with work and my other studies. I might not be able to complete it in the advertised time it's supposed to take, though."

"We can take as much time as we need. I just want to do this with you."

Levi smirked at his lover. "You're like a little boy unwrapping a gift at Christmas. I couldn't say no to you if I wanted to."

* * *

_Two months later:_

"All right, here we go. First trip on the S.S. Smith," Erwin enthused, grinning as he took hold of the steering wheel and powered the engine up.

"You look ridiculous," Levi informed him bluntly.

"Why would you say such a thing to your captain?" Erwin tilted his captain's cap roguishly on his head, casting an airy look down his aristocratic nose at Levi.

"Heh. Maybe because I'm a captain too. You don't see me dressed up like some movie portrayal of a captain on a cruise ship."

"Levi, be nice. This is my moment. Besides, you're my co-captain. That makes me your commander...just like in the old days."

The younger male sighed, and he gave Erwin a sharp salute.

"Was it really necessary to give me the finger while doing that?" Erwin was fighting laughter despite the cool expression he'd forced onto his face. Levi was so cute when he was being pissy. In all honesty, part of the reason Erwin had bought his white naval captain costume and worn it was to get a reaction from his twink. It had paid off. Erwin loved to tease Levi, loved to see him lose his cool and get huffy and flustered.

"You embarrassed the hell out of me at port, strolling up to the houseboat dressed in that fancy getup. People probably think you're going through a mid-life crisis. Shit, _are_ you? Is that what this is really about?"

Erwin's composure cracked. He laughed through his nose and shook his head. "I've wanted a boat since I was a boy. I've told you that before, Levi. Does it have to be classified as a 'mid-life crisis' for a man to indulge himself in something he's always wanted?"

"Well, no. I guess not. You have to admit though, doing this because it was a boyhood dream is what justifies the categorization. A mid-life crisis is someone trying to re-capture their youth, right?"

"Hmm. I suppose that's true." Erwin mused. "However, I don't need a boat or a new car to re-capture my youth." He set the engine speed and kept one hand prudently on the wheel to steer. Then he put an arm around his smaller companion to pull him closer. "I have you for that."

Levi cleared his throat, looked pointedly away. "Whatever."

Grinning, Erwin nuzzled Levi's soft, black hair. "Do you really hate the uniform?"

Levi looked him up and down, biting his lower lip. A subtle flush crept up his neck, spreading to the shell of his ears and his cheekbones. "No. Now that we aren't in public, I guess it's kind of hot for some role playing. Is that what you had in mind?"

Erwin hummed softly into his ear and nodded.

"Let me guess." Levi turned his head to look up at the blond. "You want to be the sailor that caught a merman again."

"Actually," corrected Erwin softly, "I want to be the sailor that the merman caught. I'm helplessly adrift, with no fuel and no way to get to land. You come across me while I'm in the water trying to patch a hole in the side of my vessel and decide to take me captive."

Levi snorted softly. "That's some imagination you've got. Do I have to wear that silly fish tail you bought again?"

Erwin carefully steered the houseboat out into the open waters as he answered. "No. We can play it like I wake up after you've transformed into your land walking state."

"Hmm. Do I get to tie you up?" Levi caressed Erwin's chest, toying with the brass buttons on his uniform costume. "Have my way with you?"

Erwin nodded, smiling crookedly at him. "If that's your wish, yes."

Levi stepped away from him, and for a moment, the blond thought he was going to back out of it. His fears proved unfounded when the younger man spoke again. "All right. I'm going to get the bedroom set up. Better prepare your ass, Smith. It's going to be all mine as soon as we set anchor."

"My...ass?" Erwin raised a brow at Levi. Though they'd switched a couple of times before, the usual preference was with Levi on bottom.

"That's right." Levi snagged the captain's cap off of Erwin's head and stuck it on his own. "Your ass. I'm gonna own it tonight, hot stuff."

Erwin grinned broadly, watching his lover exit the helm area. He returned his attention to the horizon once Levi was out of sight. Yes, this was definitely turning out to be a fine investment on his part. They had enough fuel reserves to safely get them through the whole week. Just the two of them out on the great blue expanse of the ocean, away from the noise of civilization and stocked up with plenty of fresh and frozen produce, the finest selection of wines, beers and liquors and a personal wifi hotspot for any internet needs they might have.

Erwin had absolutely no regrets, and he was just where he wanted to be in life now.

* * *

The End


End file.
